Speaker Race Back In Limbo As Republicans Shut Down Empowering McHenry

October 19, 2023
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 19: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) arrives at his office in the Rayburn House Office Building on October 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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October 19, 2023

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was deposed over two weeks ago, and House Republicans still can’t elect a replacement.

Earlier today, the plan was to empower Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC), to work on giving him enough powers to make the House functional again — likely with Democratic help. That largely collapsed after a near-physical Republican conference meeting, when lots of them came out against the idea.

Now Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) — who, on net, lost votes from the first to second rounds of voting — is trying to sway the holdouts at the eleventh hour, and promising another vote tomorrow. His task is likely even more difficult now, after his mobilization of the right-wing media machine flooded the holdouts with threats.

TPM’s Kate Riga and Emine Yücel are both reporting from Capitol Hill. Follow our live coverage below:

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was deposed over two weeks ago, and House Republicans still can’t elect a replacement.

Earlier today, the plan was to empower Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC), to work on giving him enough powers to make the House functional again — likely with Democratic help. That largely collapsed after a near-physical Republican conference meeting, when lots of them came out against the idea.

Now Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) — who, on net, lost votes from the first to second rounds of voting — is trying to sway the holdouts at the eleventh hour, and promising another vote tomorrow. His task is likely even more difficult now, after his mobilization of the right-wing media machine flooded the holdouts with threats.

TPM’s Kate Riga and Emine Yücel are both reporting from Capitol Hill. Follow our live coverage below:

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