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US House Speaker position vacant for weeks, can McCarthy stage a comeback or will Jim Jordan win GOP support
Republicans face uncertainty in finding a replacement for Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Jim Jordan's bid to become Speaker gaining momentum
It's a crisis US politics could have avoided. Nearly two week after majority Republicans ousted Speaker Kevin Mccarthy and unanimously refused to rally around Louisiana Rep Steve Scalise.
An unprecedented vote of no-confidence was triggered by a contingent of hard-right conservatives, presumably Trump allies, that threw the House and its Republican leadership into chaos. Later McCarthy's successor, Scalise, was nominated by most Republicans, but withdrew after it was clear he would lose the speakership vote on the floor.
On Friday, Republicans nominated Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, a staunch ally of Donald Trump, but the vote was split. Jordan had lost to Scalise just days earlier, and the Freedom Caucus founder has a long way to go to win enough support from his colleagues ahead of a House floor vote.
With Republicans unable to find McCarthy's replacement the way forward looks uncertain. The US House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday in its latest attempt to elect a speaker, members were told Sunday.
Also Read: Speaker election battle: US House to vote on Tuesday
The path forward is uncertain as lawmakers prepared to return Monday evening. Many Republicans in the majority were feeling frustration and an increased urgency to find a successor to McCarthy as a new war in Israel rages abroad and government funding expires in five weeks.
Can McCarthy return as US House Speaker?
There are speculations that McCarthy could stage a longshot bid to return to the post. Others have suggested an unexpected candidate for speaker will ultimately prevail. Surprisingly Trump has also shown interest in the position but Republicans are aware that he will never be allowed to win the vote on th floor of the House.
Will Trump ally Jim Jordan win GOP support?
Meanwhile Hardline conservative and a staunch Trump ally, Jim Jordan has gained momentum in his campaign to be US House speaker. He was endorsed by three GOP leaders after his comments on promise to fund the military and promise to ‘destroy Hamas and support Israel.’ However he needs the majority support considering his closeness to Trump and support to isolationist “America First” agenda.
During the speaker vote each party puts a name into nomination for speaker. Democrats will nominate their current leader, New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, and vote for him. The main complication for Republicans is their narrow majority in the house. Any nominee would need full support from the party as a party member can vote for anyone they want to.
The newly elected Speaker's first move would be to pass a bipartisan resolution making clear that House stands with Hamas and make Republicans' stand strong ahead of US government shutdown deadline looming in mid-November deadline.
(With Agency Inputs)
