House Speaker Race: Jordan Backs McHenry as Interim Speaker, Republican Divisions Remain

The race for the House Speaker position in the United States continues as divisions and disagreements among Republicans persist. South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman recently expressed his opposition to a resolution that would empower Patrick McHenry as the interim speaker, even with the backing of Jim Jordan. Despite reports that Jordan supports expanding McHenry’s powers until January, he is not dropping out of the speaker’s race and will continue to gather support.

Norman dismissed the idea that granting an empowered interim speaker position to McHenry would give Jordan enough time to secure the necessary support for a floor vote. He stated, “The speaker drama is not going to go away with extra time.”

Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Representative who supports Jordan’s bid for the speakership, expressed disappointment in Jordan allegedly backing the resolution to broaden McHenry’s powers. She argued that moving to vote on the resolution would be the “wrong thing to do” and disagreed with Jordan’s plan of finding a path while talking to people.

Greene attributed the current chaos in the House Republican conference to the eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership earlier this month, stating, “This conference is absolutely broken, and the reason why we’re broken is because Republicans worked with Democrats and put us here.”

Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart acknowledged that Jordan is supporting the push to empower McHenry but did not disclose his own stance on the resolution. Indiana Rep. Jim Banks called the resolution a “giant betrayal” to Republican voters. As the House GOP remains divided over empowering McHenry, Democratic votes may be needed on the floor for its approval.

Reps. Ralph Norman and Chip Roy, two House Republican hard-liners, reiterated their opposition to empowering McHenry as the interim Speaker. They emphasized the importance of choosing a speaker according to the Constitution, rather than having a temporary speaker. However, Georgia Rep. Austin Scott indicated openness to empowering McHenry if a majority of the conference supports it, based on the principle of the “Hastert rule.”

Several House Republicans who oppose Jordan’s speakership bid pushed back against reports that he would continue his quest for the gavel despite canceling a third speaker vote. Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon insisted that Jordan should exit the race if there isn’t another voting round. Bacon also proposed other potential candidates for speaker and expressed support for Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole.

New York Rep. Marc Molinaro, who initially backed Jordan, stated that he would not support Jordan as the speaker designee on a third ballot. Instead, he suggested empowering Rep. Patrick McHenry as the interim speaker to allow the House GOP conference time to “decompress.” Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez also believed it would be a significant problem if Jordan remained the speaker designee until January.

On the other hand, a Jordan ally revealed that Jordan supports allowing McHenry to serve as a temporary speaker until January. This ally argued that giving Jordan more time to build support with the stability of a speaker in place would be beneficial.

During a House GOP conference meeting, the members expressed differing opinions regarding empowering McHenry while seeking a permanent speaker. There were mixed feelings among Republicans, with some believing the temporary empowerment would be necessary to move legislation and support various issues, while others insisted on electing a speaker as soon as possible. Jim Jordan’s allies maintained their support for him and desired to give him more time to secure the required number of votes.

Interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, on his way to a House GOP conference meeting, stated that his goal is to get Jim Jordan elected as speaker, without revealing whether his own powers would be expanded. Sources suggest that a third speaker vote for Jordan will not occur today, and Jordan will continue his speakership bid while trying to gain more support. He is now leaning toward backing a resolution that empowers McHenry, allowing him to serve in a temporary capacity until January.

Empowering McHenry would extend his role beyond administering the speaker vote to potentially moving legislation through the House, although specific details are unclear.

Overall, the House Speaker race remains contentious, with divisions among Republicans and differing opinions on the best way forward. While some support empowering McHenry temporarily, others are focused on electing a permanent speaker soon. Jim Jordan continues his quest for support, and the resolution to empower McHenry awaits further debate and potential Democratic votes for approval.