Trump confidante named new candidate
Hardliner Jim Jordan won the internal elections held by Republicans in the United States to become the new Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Not yet elected: hardliner Jim Jordan speaks to the media. (October 23, 2023)
AFP/Julia Nickinson
In the turbulent race for the US House of Representatives, Republicans narrowly chose hardliner Jim Jordan as their new candidate in the internal elections. According to consistent US media reports, the confidant of former President Donald Trump received 124 votes in the vote at the parliamentary group meeting behind closed doors on Friday. To actually become speaker of the House of Representatives, he will need the votes of 217 deputies in a general vote. Just a few hours ago, little-known Austin Scott of Georgia surprisingly announced his candidacy. He came out of the gate with 81 votes.
After Jordan’s victory over Scott, lawmakers voted on whether to support hardline conservatives in the vote. Only 152 deputies announced that they wanted to vote in favor of it, 55 voted against it, and one person abstained from voting. Republicans have only a very narrow majority in the chamber, which is why a handful of dissidents are enough to block the nomination.
The timing of the vote is unclear
Former House leader Kevin McCarthy was ousted from office last week in a historic vote. To be elected to the third most important office in the state after President and Vice President, an absolute majority must be obtained among the members of the House of Representatives present. This means that 217 votes in the parliamentary chamber will likely be needed to be elected to the top office. The party had initially selected right-wing conservative Steve Scalise as a potential successor, but because he also did not obtain the necessary majority, he withdrew his nomination on Thursday evening.
It is unclear when the House will vote on the presidency and whether Republicans will find a majority nominee by then. As long as the council remains leaderless, observers say a vote on aid packages for the military conflicts in Ukraine and Israel is unlikely.
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