The second US House leadership vote, held on Wednesday, also failed to elect a president.
Jim Jordan, who was nominated by the Republican majority, did not get the necessary majority in the second round of voting either, after 22 of his party’s 221 representatives voted for something else. Democrats continued to vote unanimously for their leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries. A majority required 217 votes.
The former Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, was removed from office by a majority vote two weeks ago at the initiative of a member of his party. At that time, 8 Republicans voted for the alternative, in addition to the Democrats. Since then, the lower house of the legislature has been dysfunctional, because without an elected president, it cannot pass laws or resolutions.
Republicans first nominated caucus leader Steve Scalise for president last week, who withdrew on Friday after it became clear he would not get a majority. Then Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, became the Republican nominee. The politician received 200 Republican votes in the first round of voting held on Tuesday, 17 fewer than were necessary for his election.
After an unsuccessful second round of voting, both Republicans and Democrats reached the compromise solution of temporarily assigning Patrick McHenry the duties of Speaker of the House with expanded powers. The North Carolina state representative currently serves as the acting Speaker of the House, but in that position he only has the power to conduct the election of the Speaker of the House.
