Video: The U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 17, 2023 failed to elect a new speaker in the first round of voting. (Xinhua)
Jim Jordan lost 20 Republicans, with six voting for former speaker Kevin McCarthy, and seven voting for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday failed to elect a new speaker in the first round of voting, as Right-wing Republican Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, failed to garner enough support from his own party two weeks after the historical ouster of Kevin McCarthy.
Jordan, who was nominated by House Republicans on Friday, won 200 votes from the 220 Republicans present, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic nominee, received all 212 votes from his party, with both falling shy of the 217 majority needed to become the next House speaker.
Jordan lost 20 Republicans, with six voting for former speaker McCarthy, and seven voting for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who previously won the Republican speakership nomination but failed to unite the party and dropped out of the race.
With a slim 221-212 Republican majority in the chamber, a Republican nominee can't afford to lose more than just a few fellow members in order to win the speakership. ■
