The latest on the House speaker race

The House is expected to hold its next vote for speaker at 10 a.m. ET Friday, Rep. Jim Jordan’s office told reporters.

As Rep. Jim Jordan works to inject some life back into his flailing speakership bid, three sources say he has made some progress with a small bloc of holdouts: New York Republicans.

If Jordan does win them over, it’s still not nearly enough to secure the speakership, given 22 Republicans voted against him on the second ballot and more are expected to oppose him on the third ballot. But Jordan is hoping to show some sign of progress ahead of the next vote, now planned for Friday.

Sources say Jordan tapped former New York GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin – who is close with the freshman New York Republicans — to help lean on the holdouts, some of whom named Zeldin on the floor during speaker votes this week. Zeldin was seen going into Jordan’s office Thursday night. The holdouts have also heard from conservative New York donors in recent days encouraging them to get on board with a Jordan speakership, sources say. 

Unlike the other holdouts, the New Yorkers have specific asks and priorities that are pertinent to their districts, such as the state and local tax deduction. 

But others are opposed to Jordan based on principle, and are dug in as threats on them continue – a sign of the uphill climb he is still facing.

Several House Republicans who oppose Rep. Jim Jordan’s speakership bid left a closed-door meeting with the Ohio congressman Thursday saying they have not changed their minds. 

Gimenez also said that some of the members in attendance encouraged Jordan to drop out.

Florida Rep. John Rutherford said he remained a “no” on backing Jordan, as did Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly, who said nothing would change his mind but “we’ll see what happens.”

One attendee told CNN that the purpose of the meeting was to make it crystal clear that “it’s over” and that Jordan should now know he has no path to become speaker. 

Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan, on the other hand, said after the meeting he would “take a look at” voting for Jordan but doubted there would be another floor vote soon. Buchanan backed Jordan for speaker on the first round but flipped on the second ballot yesterday.

Remember: Jordan — or any other GOP speaker candidate — can only afford to lose four Republican votes if all members are present and voting on the floor. A speaker needs a majority of the full House to be elected.

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan left a meeting Thursday with some of his Republican colleagues who remain opposed to his speakership bid, telling CNN, “We had a good discussion.”

But Jordan wouldn’t answer any other questions about the fate of his candidacy or if there would be another speaker floor vote tonight.

CNN previously reported that some Jordan holdouts had refused to meet with the speaker designee or to take his calls.

House Republicans emerged from a heated closed-door conference meeting earlier today with a plan to scrap a proposal to empower interim House Speaker Patrick McHenry and move forward with more floor votes for Jordan’s quest for the speaker’s gavel.

McHenry said no decision had been made on holding another speaker vote tonight.

“I haven’t made a decision yet,” the North Carolina Republican said.

Asked by CNN whether he supported a resolution that would expand his power as interim speaker, McHenry said, “We’re still working through where the conference is on electing a speaker.”

As Republicans struggle to coalesce around a candidate, Rep. Jim Jordan is meeting Thursday with GOP holdouts who oppose his speakership bid, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Remember: Jordan — or any other GOP speaker candidate — can only afford to lose four Republican votes if all members are present and voting on the floor. A speaker needs a majority of the full House to be elected.

Some Jordan holdouts are refusing to meet with the speaker designee or to take his calls, sources told CNN — a sign of the uphill climb Jordan faces in winning over his opposition.  

Meanwhile, one of the Republicans who voted against Jordan told members during a closed-door meeting today that they had to have a law enforcement officer stationed at their daughter’s school because of threats this member has been getting.

Rep. Matt Gaetz leaves a Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on Thursday.

Amid the ongoing chaos in the speaker-less House, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz defended his decision to lead the effort to oust Kevin McCarthy from his speakership but did not articulate what he got out of it besides removing the California Republican from the position. 

He added: “This is what it’s supposed to be: It’s not clean, it’s not orderly.” 

When pressed by CNN that the current paralysis in the chamber means that members can’t legislate, Gaetz said: “There’s a lot of legislation we shouldn’t be considering that this may be blocking. So I wasn’t too thrilled with the legislation we were passing in the first place. So I don’t much mind taking a few days to ensure that we’ve got someone in the position with broader credibility than Kevin McCarthy had.” 

Gaetz also addressed reports that McCarthy had yelled at him during a House GOP conference meeting earlier today and that Illinois Rep. Mike Bost then cursed at him.

“I’m a lawyer, not a baker, so I don’t get too emotional about the presentation of arguments and how we ought to consider things. But we got some folks here who have a different view. I don’t think too much of it,” the Florida Republican said. 

Gaetz also called Bost a “fine gentleman” who sometimes gets emotional but noted that he had apologized.

The House GOP’s current top leaders – Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Conference Chair Elise Stefanik – all stood firm at a conference meeting today against a resolution the would have empowered interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, sources tell CNN, putting them at odds with Jim Jordan and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Jordan, the current GOP nominee for speaker, and McCarthy had initially spoken up in favor of the idea during the closed-door meeting. But Stefanik, Scalise and Emmer remained opposed, sources said.

It’s just another example of how the divisions within the GOP have reached its upper ranks. In particular, there has been tension between Scalise supporters and Jordan’s and McCarthy’s camps as the speakership crisis plays out.

House Republicans emerged from today’s meeting, which went on for more than three hours, with a plan to scrap the interim speaker resolution and move forward with more floor votes for Jordan’s speakership bid.

Rep. Steve Scalise walks through assembled members of the press at the Capitol October 19, in Washington, DC.

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a major Jim Jordan supporter, said Thursday that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has not offered to give a nominating speech for Jordan, as the speaker designee struggles to lock down Scalise’s allies.

CNN was first to report earlier this week that Jordan had asked Scalise to give a nominating speech on his behalf but that Scalise was noncommittal.

When Scalise had been the GOP nominee for speaker earlier this month, Jordan had offered to give his nominating speech. A huge faction of Jordan’s current opposition within the GOP conference is made up of Scalise supporters, and Jordan allies are frustrated that the majority leader hasn’t done more to bring members onto Jordan’s side. 

“I don’t know about any of those conversations. I wasn’t privy to them” Massie said when asked about CNN’s reporting. “It seems like it’d be to his advantage politically.” 

Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko, a supporter of Jim Jordan’s bid for House speaker, said the Ohio Republican would need to “step aside” if he can’t secure the floor votes needed to win the gavel.

Lesko, who announced earlier this week that she is retiring at the end of this Congress, said there was “a lot of tension between the members” at the closed-door meeting of the House GOP conference earlier today.

Lesko also said she had “real doubts” about a proposed resolution to expand the powers of interim Speaker Patrick McHenry. Several House Republicans said earlier that Jordan backed the proposal to empower McHenry until January as the speaker designee worked to shore up support for his own bid.

“It gives benefit to Jim Jordan. Even though I’ve supported Jim Jordan, it’s not fair in my view to do that and then give him more time because the other candidates haven’t had that time,” Lesko said.

“I have real doubts about it,” she said when asked about empowering the speaker pro temp. “I also think it gives benefit to Jim Jordan. Even though I’ve supported Jim Jordan, it’s not fair in my view to do that and then give him more time because the other candidates haven’t had that time.”

Rep. Patrick McHenry walks through the halls at the U.S. Capitol October 19, in Washington, DC.

House Republicans emerged from today’s closed-door meeting that went on for more than three hours with a new plan: Scrap the resolution that would empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry and go forward with more floor votes for Jim Jordan’s speakership bid.

Members left the room saying that Jordan said it was his intention to hold another floor vote today instead of moving forward with a resolution to expand McHenry’s powers. 

But another floor vote would be contingent on three things – all of which have caveats – and show how unrealistic and steep Jordan’s hill is to climb. 

According to Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie: Jordan needs to call his wife; speak to as many of the 22 GOP members who voted against him as he can to see if they are movable; and have a discussion with Kevin McCarthy about whether the former speaker would nominate him on the House floor. 

Most of the 22 Republicans who voted against Jordan on the second ballot yesterday have said they are firm in their position. Some have even received threats as the result of their opposition to Jordan. Massie said a number of the 22 members are not answering Jordan’s calls.

GOP Rep. Dave Joyce, who has been leading the charge on the McHenry measure, signaled that he isn’t walking away from his resolution completely, warning he could still bring it up at any time. He said he will continue to work and is still worried about a House that is not acting. 

CNN’s Lauren Fox, Clare Foran, Sam Fossum and Manu Raju contributed reporting to this post.

Rep. Jim Jordan speaks to members of the press at the U.S. Capitol October 19, in Washington, DC.

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan says he’s still running for House speaker and plans to talk to the Republican members who voted against his bid for the gavel.

He would not answer when asked if House lawmakers were going to the floor today.

Several House Republicans had told CNN earlier that Jordan supported a resolution to empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry until January as Jordan works to shore up support for his own speakership bid. But Jordan appeared to back off that support in his remarks.

“We made the pitch to members on the resolution as a way to lower the temperature and get back to work. We decided that wasn’t where we’re going to go,” Jordan said.

Some House Republicans said that there would be another floor vote today to try and elect a speaker.

New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said that they would give Jordan “a couple of hours” to speak with holdouts before they go to the floor.

“I think that’s what we are trying, to give him a couple of hours to do now, and I think we will have a vote,” she said.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who led the effort to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker earlier this month, agreed.

“I think we’re going to have another Jim Jordan vote,” he said. “Today, I can’t wait to go vote for him.”

Gaetz added: “What I’m really happy with is this did not end with the desire to have speaker-lite or a ratified speaker pro tempore. It’s our obligation to elect a speaker, and I’m glad we were able to throw cold water on speaker-lite.”

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds said that the House GOP Conference will not move forward with a resolution that would grant interim Speaker Patrick McHenry more power in his role.

Donalds said the votes “are just not there” for the resolution.

“And to my colleagues who wanted to support it, I understand why they wanted to support it. Because look, time is of the essence because (of) a lot of things that we have to do. But the No. 1 thing that this body must do was elect a speaker before you conduct any business.

So what happens now? Donalds says the plan moving forward still lies with House Speaker designee Jim Jordan, whom he says will have his support indefinitely.

“I’m with Jim Jordan until Jim Jordan says he doesn’t want to run anymore,” Donalds said.

The House GOP Conference meeting is now going on three hours and has grown increasingly heated, with no clear path forward on a resolution to temporarily empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry.

Lawmakers in the room are debating the resolution — which has received fierce pushback from conservatives and others in the conference, despite the fact that Speaker designee Jim Jordan has gotten behind the idea. Others have argued that such a move is the only viable option to re-open the House given that no speaker candidate seems to be able to get 217 votes. 

But some lawmakers say the prospects for the resolution look grim right now.

Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan, who voted against Jordan’s speakership bid in the second round of voting Wednesday, said the measure appears “dead.”

And former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster earlier this month precipitated the current crisis, said he doesn’t think the resolution should come to the floor unless it has the support of a majority of the conference’s support — which Republicans do not believe it has at this point.

A GOP leadership aide tells CNN that no decisions have been made about if and how they’re going to bring this forward.

Florida Rep. Brian Mast said House Republicans in the closed-door conference meeting are debating whether it is constitutional to empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry any further until a new permanent speaker is elected.

Several House Republicans have told CNN that Speaker designee Jim Jordan supports the plan to enhance McHenry’s powers as interim speaker until January as the Ohio Republican works to shore up support for his own speakership bid.

Empowering McHenry would expand his ability beyond just administering a speaker vote to potentially moving legislation through the chamber, although the specifics aren’t clear as yet.

Rep. Jim Jordan arrives for the Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on Thursday.

The level of frustration at an ongoing House Republican Conference meeting remains “high,” Florida Rep. Mike Waltz told CNN as he lambasted the eight GOP lawmaker who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker and plunged the chamber into chaos.

He continued: “Where I come from, as a veteran, if you’re going to blow a bridge, you better have another one to cross and those eight clearly didn’t have another one to cross before they blew this bridge.”

Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse said Republicans “need to reset” when asked about keeping Jim Jordan as the speaker designee.

Jordan, lacking the votes to become speaker, is poised to pivot strategy by backing a plan to expand the power of interim Speaker Patrick McHenry for the rest of the year, a move that is already triggering a backlash from some members of his party.

Reps. Andy Ogles of Tennessee and Mark Alford of Missouri told CNN they’re firmly opposed to the idea of empowering McHenry. 

Asked if it was a tense meeting, Alford said, “Look, we’re a family, and every family has squabbles. I’ve been married 34 years, and I’ve had my share. But I also know it’s worth it on the other end when you resolve those.”

When asked about the mood at the GOP conference meeting over supporting the interim speaker resolution, Alford said there was “a lot of pressure.”  

“It takes a lot of pressure to create a diamond. I think that’s what we’re trying to mine in there. If it’s not going to be Jim Jordan, so be it. Right now, I’m behind Jim Jordan. I think a lot of people are until he withdraws his name.”

Ogles said he is a “big fan of Patrick McHenry” but opposes the resolution that would expand his powers regardless of who the interim speaker is.

Ogles predicted that if the interim speaker resolution is voted on this afternoon, “it will fail.” He said “quite a few” Republicans spoke out against the measure at the closed-door meeting.

Ogles said he has pushed for Republicans working through weekends to elect a speaker.

“When members start losing weekends, they’ll come to a resolution. They’ll figure out who they can vote for,” the Tennessee lawmaker said.

A closed-door meeting of the House GOP Conference turned heated today, multiple sources tell CNN, a further sign of chaos as Republicans struggle to elect a speaker. 

At one point, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who led the effort to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, was told to sit down by McCarthy but refused. Illinois Rep  Mike Bost then “got all emotional and ugly and was cussing him” and “telling him it’s all his fault,” one member said. 

Other lawmakers, including some who support Jim Jordan’s speakership bid, slammed the Ohio Republican for backing an expected resolution to empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, calling him “self-serving.” Some members encouraged him to drop out of the race. 

There was also an emotional and heated discussion over the death threats that some GOP lawmakers who oppose Jordan for speaker have faced.

Exiting the meeting, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher said he was “going to the chapel to pray the rosary.” 

“Temperatures are really high in there,” a deflated-looking Gallagher said.

In the closed-door meeting, several GOP members urged Rep. Jim Jordan to drop his bid for the speakership, but he is resisting those calls, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Jordan, who sources say scrapped a third vote today after failing to get enough to win the speakership in his first two ballots, is is now leaning toward backing a resolution to expand interim Speaker Patrick McHenry’s powers, sources said, but he wants to see how today’s House GOP conference meeting goes. 

US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet on Wednesday.

As President Joe Biden met with Israel’s wartime cabinet Wednesday in the basement of the David Kempinski hotel in Tel Aviv, an unexpected topic came up: the chaos unfolding simultaneously on Capitol Hill.

For days, House Republicans have struggled to elect a speaker and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan’s prospects for winning the gavel weren’t looking any brighter as Biden sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As Biden and the Israeli cabinet discussed what role the US could play in helping its longtime ally, Biden acknowledged the chaos in Washington and the roadblock it created, two sources familiar with his remarks told CNN. Biden said he was prepared to ask Congress for an estimated $100 billion in emergency funds for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and the US-Mexico border (with an expected $10 billion going to Israel, though a source cautioned that the number had not yet been finalized). 

But Biden assured senior Israeli officials that the House speakership crisis wouldn’t ultimately hurt US support for their war-torn nation.

Later, on the flight home, Biden joked that he had little sympathy — actually, none — for Jordan’s inability so far to secure the role of House speaker.  

Asked by CNN’s Kevin Liptak about the gridlock, the president touched his heart and deadpanned: “I ache for him.” 

“You do?” Liptak asked.

“No,” Biden said. “No, he – zero. None.”

You can follow CNN’s live coverage of Israel’s war with Hamas here.

Rep. Tim Burchett talks to reporters following a House Republicans meeting to vote for a nominee for Speaker of the House, at the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 13, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, who was one of eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the House speakership, says he opposes the move to expand interim Speaker Patrick McHenry’s powers.

The Tennessee representative noted that conversations are “going back and forth” on whether House Republicans should take a formal vote on the resolution within their conference to see how much support it has.

With Republicans divided over the resolution, Democratic votes will likely be necessary to get the measure approved on the floor. House Democrats leaving their own closed-door meeting Thursday said they were waiting to see what the resolution would look like.

Burchett also said that the opposition to Rep. Jim Jordan’s speakership bid was just residual anger over McCarthy’s ouster. 

Jordan has already lost two floor votes for speaker in the past two days, and a third vote that had been tentatively planed for today was scrapped, sources said.

Texas Rep. Pat Fallon told CNN that House Speaker designee Jim Jordan explained at a closed-door GOP conference meeting why he supports the expected resolution to expand Rep. Patrick McHenry’s powers as interim speaker.

“He wants the resolution so we can get back to work,” Fallon said.

Fallon said he understood Jordan’s pitch but said he would not support the resolution.

Fallon said approval of the resolution would come down to the Democrats.

“The Democrats are really going to control it. If they all vote against the resolution, it will not pass because a majority of Republicans are not going to support it,” he said.

Fallon said Republicans haven’t talked about when they would hold a third vote for speaker. Jordan has already lost two attempts to win the gavel over the past two days.

Asked if Jordan should drop out or remain the speaker designee, Fallon pointed to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy winning the gavel in January after 15 rounds of voting.

“Kevin McCarthy had 15 votes. Now, granted, I think we took those over three or four days. We’re only taking one vote a day. I don’t think that pace can continue. I think there should be a strategy in play. If Jim doesn’t get the votes, obviously at some point there’s going to be a breaking point. I don’t know what that is, and I’ll let the speaker designee decide that. But absolutely we can’t go on forever. We have to either elect Jim Jordan speaker or we have to go back to the drawing board.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries leaves a Democratic caucus meeting following a vote on a new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on October 18, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Behind closed doors, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told his caucus that he had yet to speak with Republicans about the resolution that would empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, according to a source in the room — but he had positive words about the North Carolina Republican.

Empowering McHenry would expand his ability beyond just administering a speaker vote to potentially moving legislation through the chamber, although the specifics aren’t clear as yet.

Some Democrats floated a number of measures they wanted in exchange for their vote, including passage of an aid package for Israel and Ukraine and government funding at levels previously agreed to under the debt limit law.

It’s unclear whether they will get any of those assurances before the vote.

Rep. Judy Chu speaks during the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus news conference at the House Democrats 2023 Issues Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, in March.

House Democrats huddled behind closed doors Thursday to discuss the possibility of supporting an expected Republican resolution that would empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry but left their meeting still waiting to see what the measure will look like.

Democratic votes will likely be key to getting such a resolution across the finish line since not all Republicans are behind the effort.

Some Democrats appeared ready to back the resolution.

Chu said McHenry’s past votes to raise the debt ceiling, keep the government open and certify the 2020 presidential election results would make it easier for Democrats to support him.

As the GOP plan to empower McHenry takes shape, some Democrats remained open but noncommittal to helping Republicans get the resolution approved.

Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley told CNN that he wasn’t going to make any promises until the “chaos caucus” made its move — though he signaled a willingness to work with Republicans if the conditions were right. 

Others said they still needed to see the details of the resolution and want House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to sit down with Republicans to negotiate a deal.

“If there’s going to be a lifeline, there will need to be some conditions” Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva said.

South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman told reporters today as he left a House GOP Conference meeting that he still opposes a resolution that would empower Patrick McHenry as interim speaker, even Jim Jordan backs it.

Several House Republicans have told CNN that Jordan supports the plan to enhance McHenry’s powers as interim speaker until January. Jordan is reportedly not dropping out of the speaker’s race and will continue to try to shore up support until then.

Norman pushed back on the idea that having an empowered interim speaker would give Jordan the time needed to lock down enough support to win a floor vote.

“The speaker drama is not going to go away with extra time,” the South Carolina Republican said.

Interim House Speaker Patrick McHenry opened the floor at 12:03 p.m. ET and recessed two minutes later at 12:05 p.m. ET, subject to the call of the chair. 

Earlier today, sources said Rep. Jim Jordan wouldn’t hold a third speaker vote today, as he struggles to flip GOP holdouts.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are seen on the House floor of the US Capitol on Tuesday.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who backs Jim Jordan’s speakership bid, says she is “very disappointed” that the Ohio Republican is reportedly supporting the plan to broaden interim Speaker Patrick McHenry’s powers.

Greene, emerging from this morning’s House GOP Conference meeting, told CNN that the McHenry resolution will be introduced at noon. There will be an hour of debate and then a vote this afternoon on whether to empower McHenry until January, according to Greene. 

Other GOP lawmakers have told CNN that Jordan supports the plan to expand McHenry’s powers as interim speaker.

“We voted for (Jordan) to be our speaker nominee. We only had two votes. I wanted to see if (we) keep going today, and find a way to work with the holdouts to get together so we can continue doing our work,” Greene told reporters. “I don’t know why this is happening, so I’m very disappointed.”

Greene said moving to vote on the resolution to empower McHenry would be the “wrong thing to do,” noting that Jordan wants to move on the proposal “while he continues talking to people and finding a path.”

“I completely disagree,” she said of Jordan’s plan.

Greene blamed the eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership earlier this month for the current chaos.

“This conference is absolutely broken, and the reason why we’re broken is because Republicans worked with Democrats and put us here,” she said.

Rep. Jim Jordan arrives for a House Republican members meeting as the conference continues to debate the race for Speaker of the House at the Capitol on Thursday.

Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who does not support Jim Jordan’s speakership bid, said today that he thinks the Ohio Republican is now backing the push to empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry.

“It’s one of those areas where this is now being pushed by Mr. Jordan, is my understanding. I know that he’s one of the people that I think at least is behind it,” he said.

Diaz-Balart would not say whether he supported such a resolution but said he agrees with the general idea.

Indiana Rep. Jim Banks also said that Jordan is backing the McHenry plan. But he called the resolution a “giant betrayal” to Republican voters. With the House GOP divided over the resolution to empower McHenry, Democratic votes will likely be needed on the floor to get it approved.

Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Chip Roy of Texas, two House Republican hard-liners, told CNN today they remain opposed to a proposed resolution to empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry. 

 “We’re supposed to choose the speaker. It’s in the Constitution. There’s a Senate pro tem. There’s not a speaker pro tem,” Roy told CNN. 

And Georgie Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said on X: “I’m not sharing our power with democrats, after our voters gave us the majority.”

But Georgia Rep. Austin Scott indicated before a House GOP Conference meeting Thursday that he could be open to empowering McHenry if a majority of the conference supports it.

“I support the Hastert rule – if 50% of our conference plus one wants to do that, then the conference can have that discussion,” he said. 

Several House Republicans opposed to Jim Jordan’s speakership bid are pushing back on reports that he plans to continue his quest for the gavel despite canceling a third speaker vote today.

Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon told CNN that Jordan “needs to get out,” saying it would be a problem for him if there isn’t a third round of voting but the Ohio Republican remains in the race as the speaker designee. 

Bacon floated the names of potential other candidates for speaker and said he would support some of them, including Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole.

New York Rep. Marc Molinaro, who backed Jordan on the first two ballots, told CNN that he would not support the speaker designee on a third ballot and that the best approach going forward is to empower Rep. Patrick McHenry as interim speaker and allow the House GOP conference time to “decompress.”

And Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez, who has said he would only back Kevin McCarthy for the gavel, said it would be a “big problem” if Jordan remained the speaker designee until January.

A Jordan ally told CNN that the Ohio Republican supports allowing McHenry to serve in a temporary speaker capacity until January. The idea here, the person said, is to give Jordan more time to build support without the chaos of speaker-less House.

House Republicans entering their conference meeting this morning were divided over whether to empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry while they work to see if anyone can get enough votes to permanently secure the job.

Rep. Don Bacon, who has been voting against speaker designate Jim Jordan on the floor, told reporters he had “mixed feelings.”

“There’s pros and cons, like most things there’s not 100 or a zero here. On the good side, we’ve got to move some legislation. We’ve got to support Israel. We need to work on fiscal matters of the (Continuing Resolution) expiring 17 November. So I think for our country we need it, but I think it may delay the speaker’s thing. And we’ve got to come to a conclusion and get it done,” he said. 

Rep. Marc Molinaro, a frontline Republican who has been voting for Jordan on the floor, said that he supports the resolution that would empower McHenry. “I think that short-term empowerment, and if necessary, renewal is the most appropriate thing until we can come to a position where there’s consensus around the permanent speaker,” he said.

“I’m hopeful that Jim embraces this approach. I think it’s the most appropriate thing to do, and I certainly will be advocating for temporary empowerment of the speaker pro tempore — allow the conference to decompress, reorganize, but most importantly, allow us to get back to work,” Molinaro said.

However, other Jordan allies were staunchly against any resolution to give McHenry more power.

Rep. Andy Ogles agreed. “I’m friends with Patrick McHenry. We have a job which is to elect a speaker, not a speaker pro tempore. So any resolution, anything that undermines that process is a mistake.”

He added that they should give Jordan more time to get 217 votes. “I know he worked last night and this morning, calling the 22 to see what their concerns were, but McCarthy’s even said that Jim’s only had 48 hours to work through this, he should be given more time, and I support that,” he said. “Ultimately we may have to move on, but right now we’re with Jim, and he’s working hard to get the votes.”

Rep. Ralph Norman is also opposed to an interim speakership. “I’m not going to support that. It’s time to elect a speaker. The American people want it, the American people deserve it,” he said.

Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry arrives for a House Republican members meeting on Thursday.

On his way to a House GOP Conference meeting today, interim Speaker Patrick McHenry said his “goal is to get Jim Jordan elected speaker” when asked if his own powers would be expanded under a resolution currently being discussed. 

McHenry would not say whether there would be a third vote for Jordan’s speakership bid today, although sources tell CNN Jordan has decided against holding such a vote.

Jordan is now also leaning toward backing a resolution to empower McHenry, allowing the North Carolina Republican to serve in a temporary capacity until January, according to an ally of the speaker designee. The idea here, the person said, is to give Jordan more time to build support without the chaos of speaker-less House.

Empowering McHenry would expand his ability beyond just administering a speaker vote to potentially moving legislation through the chamber, although the exact specifics aren’t clear.

Rep. Jim Jordan arrives at his office in the Rayburn House Office Building on October 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan won’t hold a third speaker vote today, sources tell CNN, as he has struggled to flip Republican holdouts and was at risk of bleeding more support. 

A source said Jordan will continue his speakership bid and try to shore up votes. He is not dropping out.

Jordan is now also leaning toward backing a resolution to empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, sources said.

Jordan supports allowing McHenry to serve in a temporary capacity until January, according to an ally of the speaker designee. The idea here, the person said, is to give Jordan more time to build support without the chaos of speaker-less House.

A resolution from Ohio Rep. Dave Joyce would empower McHenry as temporary speaker until January or until a new speaker is elected.

Many Jordan opponents want him to drop out entirely, and it’s unclear whether empowering McHenry will win over the Ohio Republican’s most ardent detractors.

Rep. Bob Good talks with reporters after the House of Representatives failed to elect a new Speaker of the House on the first round of votes at the Capitol Building on October 17, in Washington, DC.

Virginia Rep. Bob Good, a close ally of Rep. Jim Jordan and one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, defended his vote and projected confidence that Jordan would ultimately win the speaker’s gavel.

Good told CNN on Thursday that he didn’t trust McCarthy to keep his word and that if they hadn’t voted to oust the California Republican, nothing would have gotten done. 

“What we didn’t do under Kevin McCarthy for nine months suddenly would have happened in the last two weeks?” the Virginia Republican said, referring to House spending bills. “He said he would do a lot of things that didn’t happen.”

Good criticized the Republican holdouts who are so far refusing to back Jordan for speaker. Twenty-two Republicans voted against Jordan on Wednesday in the second round of voting for his speakership bid, up from the 20 who did not back him on the first ballot.

He continued: “Why would we want to start over and take another week or two to try to find someone else to even get close to 200? There are no other candidates at this point. Jim Jordan represents the conservative center of the conference. He represents the grassroots voters who gave us the majority. There’s nobody else but Jim Jordan.”

US Rep. John Rutherford, Rep. Carlos Giménez, Rep. Mike Lawler, Rep. Anthony D'Esposito and Rep. Nicholas LaLota listen as the House of Representatives holds its second round of voting for a new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on October 18, in Washington, DC. 

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio has so far failed to clinch the House speakership in two rounds of voting.

On Tuesday, 20 Republicans voted against his candidacy – far more than the handful he could afford to lose given the party’s narrow majority in Congress. The congressman fared worse in a Wednesday vote, with 22 Republicans voting against him. There were four new Republican votes against Jordan and two that flipped into his column.

Jordan – or any other GOP speaker candidate – can only afford to lose four Republican votes if all members are present and voting on the floor. A speaker needs a majority of the full House to be elected.

These are the House Republicans who voted against Jordan in each ballot:

First ballot

Second ballot

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday he had not spoken to interim Speaker Patrick McHenry about negotiations on a potential resolution that would broaden McHenry’s power.

House Republicans have been divided over the resolution, which would likely need Democratic support on the floor to be approved. 

Jeffries also said his caucus has not discussed such a resolution among themselves. 

Empowering McHenry would expand his ability beyond just administering a speaker vote to potentially moving legislation through the chamber, although the exact specifics aren’t clear.

Rep. Warren Davidson, a close ally of fellow Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, told reporters this morning that the House Republican Conference needs more time to heal from the ouster of Kevin McCarthy as speaker.

Asked what could be accomplished in another conference meeting, which is taking place at 11 a.m. ET, Davidson said people need to keep working through what’s happened over the past 16 days. 

When pressed on whether empowering interim Speaker Patrick McHenry would allow for that time to heal, Davidson said: “I’ve heard from colleagues that feel that way. So you know, I think people are looking at it like ‘How do you allow time for people to heal?’”

Asked if Jordan would be open to expanding McHenry’s powers, Davidson said he didn’t want to speak for the speaker designee.

“But I could tell you that his reaction, when people were talking about it yesterday, was, ‘If you want to bring the resolution, bring the resolution,’” Davidson said.

Republicans will gather for a private conference meeting at 11 a.m. ET where they will discuss several “options” on how to move forward, Rep. Jim Jordan said Thursday.

He also maintained there would be a vote after that. However, Jordan wasn’t clear on what they’d vote on so he urged caution there. 

CNN asked specifically if he thinks it might be worth empowering interim Speaker Patrick McHenry for a bit while he keeps working on the votes, he said they will discuss several options at the meeting. 

“We’re looking to bring the conference together, we’re gonna talk about all kinds of options, I think, at the conference,” Jordan said.

Asked if he’d go to a third ballot even if he doesn’t have the votes, Jordan said that he was still in this race. 

Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Thomas Massie arrive at the U.S. Capitol ahead of today's planned Speaker of the House vote in the House of Representatives on October 18, in Washington, DC. 

Multiple GOP sources say that Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan is quickly losing votes and is poised to lose even more Republican support if he goes through with a third ballot Thursday for his House speakership bid. One Republican opponent says there are about 30 GOP “no” votes today.

It’s unclear if Jordan will go through with the anticipated noon ET vote at this moment.

If Jordan withdraws, other candidates could jump into the speaker race. Among those considering runs are Reps. Jodey Arrington of Texas, Jack Bergman of Michigan and Mike Johnson of Louisiana, according to GOP sources. They would all struggle to get to the 217 votes needed on the floor to secure the speaker’s gavel if all members are present and voting.

If there’s another speaker’s race, it would likely delay consideration of a resolution to empower Rep. Patrick McHenry in his current role as interim speaker.

Rep. Jim Jordan speaks with lawmakers and aides before a second round of voting for Speaker of the House begins on Wednesday.

Rep. Jim Jordan, who lost in his second attempt on Wednesday to become the next speaker of the House, has been a key figure in House GOP-led investigations and made a name for himself as a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump.

Jordan, who has served in Congress since 2007 and was endorsed by Trump in his bid for the speakership, serves as chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee. He has a longstanding reputation as a conservative agitator and helped found the hardline House Freedom Caucus.

In addition to chairing the Judiciary Committee, Jordan is also the chair of the select subcommittee on the “weaponization” of the federal government. When McCarthy announced a House GOP impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, he said House Oversight Chairman James Comer would lead the effort in coordination with Jordan as Judiciary chair and Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith.

While Republicans say their investigative work is critical to informing the American public and ensuring accountability, Democrats frequently criticize Jordan as a hyper-partisan Trump defender and have accused him of using his perch to shield the former president in the run up to the 2024 presidential election.

As Jordan oversees key House GOP investigations, Democrats also point to the fact that he stonewalled in response to a subpoena for his testimony from the House select committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Jordan as well as Scalise both supported objections to electoral college results when Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win on January 6.

Jordan has downplayed concerns that he may be too conservative for some of the more moderate members of the GOP.

CNN reported in 2020 that six former Ohio State University wrestlers said they were present when Jordan heard or responded to sexual misconduct complaints about team doctor Richard Strauss.

Jordan has emphatically denied that he knew anything about Strauss’ abuse during his own years working at OSU, between 1987 and 1995. “Congressman Jordan never saw any abuse, never heard about any abuse, and never had any abuse reported to him during his time as a coach at Ohio State,” his congressional office said in 2018.