With 20 members of his own party voting for others, Republican Jim Jordan failed to win the majority needed to become House Speaker in a first vote today in Congress. His 200 total fell short of Democratic Party nominee Hakeem Jeffries’ 212. With his party in the minority, Jeffries cannot reach the threshold of victory in future rounds without unlikely GOP support, whereas Jordan needs only to win over his own party’s objectors.
The failure mirrors that of Jordan’s predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, who prevailed only after 15 rounds of voting—and only lasted a few months in the job.
Jordan is famed outside of politics for his role in the Ohio State University sexual abuse scandal, in which he was accused of turning a blind eye to the abuse occuring in his department. He was not himself accused of sexually abusing students.
The scandal has hardly been mentioned in the weeks-long squabbling over who will succeed the recently-deposed Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, a Jordan supporter, recently said she didn’t know anything about the issue.
But the allegations have stuck with Jordan through the years, earning him the moniker “Gym Jordan” from detractors.
Correction: Totals.
