Rep. Jim Jordan's Speaker Bid Fails On First Ballot

The United States House of Representatives remains unable to function, as the first attempt by the Republican majority to install Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan as Speaker failed by a surprisingly wide margin.

Exactly two weeks after a small group of mostly hard right Republicans successfully pushed through a motion to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker, the conference brought to the floor the nomination of Judiciary Chairman Jordan to replace him. Going into the vote, Jordan told reporters he felt good about it all, having spent the past weekend working to address the concerns of members who had expressed doubt about supporting him.

Jordan and his team knew there were still holdouts, but felt it was still possible he could get to the 217 votes needed to get the gavel by the end of the day.

It didn’t happen.

"No person having received a majority of the whole number of votes cast by surname," recited Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry (R-NC) following the vote, "a Speaker has not been elected."

20 Republicans ended up voting for someone other than Jordan, leaving him with just 200 votes, 17 short of the goal.

All five members of the Oklahoma delegation voted for Jordan, some perhaps less enthusiastically than others, given Jordan's hard right leanings.

"I’ve always been a team player, that was the decision of the Republican conference," said Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK3) Tuesday afternoon. "He was our nominee. Clearly, 20 of my colleagues on the Republican side chose to do something differently."

Lucas said it looks like a "difficult path for nominee Jordan," and that he would have "to reassess where he goes, how he gets there."

Late Tuesday afternoon, Jordan scheduled a second ballot for Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. ET.