Rep. Jim Jordan met Monday with opponents who do not support him for Speaker of the House — and they are scrambling to shore up support ahead of a vote scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
Jordan, a controversial conservative, was nominated by House Republicans for the top spot on Friday. However, a secret vote at their convention on Friday showed that 55 Republican House members would not cast their votes for him on the floor, complicating his path to getting the 217 votes he needed. Jordan cannot afford to lose four votes to become the next speaker unless all members vote.
On Monday, the Ohio congressman held one-on-one meetings with several members who were on the fence, sources told ABC News. The conference will meet Monday evening before the vote, which Jordan said is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. He suggested he would go ahead with Tuesday’s vote even if he did not get the 217 votes he needed to hold the vote.
“I think the only way to do it the way the founders intended is to have to vote tomorrow. We’ve set it at 12 noon,” Jordan said.
It appears that some of his efforts have paid off. Many Republicans have flipped, saying they will now support Jordan.
Rep. Jim Jordan leaves his office in the Rayburn House Office Building on October 16, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Just a few days ago, Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., said “no” when asked if she would support Jordan. On Monday, she issued a statement saying she supported him after their talks.
“Jim Jordan is our caucus nominee, and I will support his nomination for Speaker of the House,” she said in the statement.
Representative Ken Calvert, Republican of California, and Representative Mike Rogers, Republican of Alabama, also announced in a statement that they would support Jordan.
Others, like Rep. Steve Womack, Republican of Arkansas, said they remain neutral.
“The police light with the dispatch code is flashing, and we can’t get out of control,” he told Rachel Scott, ABC News’ chief congressional correspondent.
Womack said he’s concerned about how goal lists will change.
“House of Cards stuff has been written all over it, and I think the American people are tired of watching this fiasco,” Womack said, referring to the Netflix political drama.
Rep. Jim Jordan speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington on October 13, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Earlier Monday, Jordan sent a message to his colleagues, which was obtained by ABC News.
“It is an honor to receive our conference’s nomination for President-designate. Over the past weeks, each of you has communicated the issues that matter most to you and your constituents,” Jordan wrote in the letter.
“We discussed frustrations with the treatment of Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise and the events of the past month. You have been honest and open, and I appreciate the frank conversations.”
He added: “The role of the Speaker of Parliament is to bring all Republicans together. This is what I intend to do.”
It’s been a messy battle for speaker after Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Los Angeles, who secured the party’s nomination last week, backed out when it became clear he didn’t have the votes he needed to win. All this came after the ouster of former Parliament Speaker Kevin McCarthy by hardline Republicans on October 3.
Pressure is mounting on Republicans to elect a new speaker so the House can provide aid to Israel after Hamas-led attacks swept the region and left more than 1,000 people dead in Israel – including Americans – prompting Israel to declare war in response. The new speaker will also have one month to advance funding legislation to prevent a partial government shutdown, which would have dire consequences for millions of social service employees and beneficiaries.
This article originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
