Republicans are facing a deep leadership crisis that leaves the House of Representatives paralyzed, and worse: without a clear path to elect a new speaker.
The deep divisions within the party ousted Kevin McCarthy, and on Wednesday night, the possible candidate to replace him, Steve Scalise, abruptly withdrew from the race to be the new House speaker amid fierce opposition from more than a dozen lawmakers.
The problem for the Republican Party is that it is unclear if anyone can secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel, raising questions about how long the deadlock over one of the country’s most important positions will last and at what cost.
All eyes are currently on Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio who unsuccessfully ran against Scalise for the House speaker nomination earlier this week.
In an interview with CNN on Friday morning (13), Jordan said he believes he can secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel, but he refused to say whether he would step aside if he did not have the votes by the end of the day.
There are signs that Jordan will face resistance to his candidacy, as several lawmakers have said they would not vote for him. It is unclear if he will have better chances of success than Scalise, who narrowly defeated him in the Republican party’s closed-door election.
Tensions are rising among House Republicans, frustrated with the deadlock and concerned about the way forward.
Republican Representative Mark Alford from Missouri told reporters after Scalise’s exit from the race that one lawmaker commented: “You know, you could nominate Jesus Christ for House speaker and he still wouldn’t get 217.”
The deadlock appears so significant that Republicans are already considering whether to try to expand the powers of interim Speaker Patrick McHenry from North Carolina so that the House can pass legislation until a leader is chosen.
Source: CNN