Jordan's bid for Speaker on the rocks
20 GOP votes against Jordan - it could be more today
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for October 18, 2023:
Is it time for a more active Acting Speaker?
Senate leaders support big aid plan for Israel, Ukraine.
Yes, I was a witness to Shoegate.
SPEAKER. The House will try again today to elect a Speaker, after Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to muster a majority on the House floor. Jordan received 200 votes on Tuesday - 17 shy of victory. The outcome clearly surprised Jordan allies, who were thinking the number of anti-Jordan votes would be around 8-12. Instead of having a second vote last night, that next ballot is now expected around 11:30 am - and the outcome may be even worse for Jordan.
VOTES. In a tweet last night, Jordan ally Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) predicted more opposition - blaming lobbyists and the 'old guard' in D.C. "I’m not backing down. We’re going to change this town or bust," Roy said, vowing to keep fighting for Jordan 'as long as it takes.'
VIBE. But at the Capitol on Tuesday, there was no sense of momentum for Jordan, especially after the shock of the first ballot tally. His supporters know he needs more votes, and may have trouble getting them. "There's frustration of course," acknowledged Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
DELAY. After the vote, Jordan huddled with key allies, and decided to delay a second ballot for Speaker until Wednesday morning. "We're making progress. I feel good about it," Jordan said to a crush of reporters. "We're going to keep working, and we're going to get the votes."
SUPPORT. “I’m still with Jim Jordan,” Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) said last night. “He can help change this town and unite all of us while doing that.”
OUTLOOK. Can Jordan still win? Of course he can. Will he win? I'm not so sure about that. Unlike the GOP lawmakers who folded quickly on Monday, a number of these Jordan opponents seem like they are not giving in. It really wouldn't surprise me if Jordan does worse today than on Tuesday, as Republicans are already talking about other candidates.
NOT JORDAN. "I think we need to move forward as a conference," said Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), who voted for ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and vowed that he would not be voting for Jordan. Gimenez said Jordan's pressure campaign on him backfired. "I'm a Cuban. Just don't do that to us," Gimenez said.
SCALISE. Some Republicans voted against Jordan for one reason - how he undercut Steve Scalise last week, when Scalise had won the GOP nomination for Speaker. "My vote for Steve Scalise was a matter of principle," said Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR), who said Jordan had 'kneecapped' Scalise.
NEW YORK. Three Republicans from New York - Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota, and Anthony D'Esposito - sidestepped Jordan and voted for ex-Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY). A fourth from the state, Rep. Mike Lawler, voted for McCarthy. Those last three are freshmen from swing districts.
LONE STAR. The biggest surprise of all? That was Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), the head of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, voting against Jordan. She was backed up by a number of members on that committee. As the old saying goes, there are three parties in Congress: Democrats, Republicans, and appropriators.
MOMENTUM. Not long after the vote, a number of anti-Jordan lawmakers called for the House to immediately return to session in order to pick a Speaker. That sent a very strong message. I learned a long time ago that when you think you have the edge - you want to vote. The people calling for a quick second vote were not voting for Jim Jordan.
PRO TEMPORE. If Jordan's bid for Speaker starts to fail today, look for more talk from both parties about having the Acting Speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), be in charge for an interim period. It could be the best way to allow the House to pass legislation and for Republicans to figure out a compromise Speaker.
MCHENRY. "It's time to give expanded authority to Speaker Pro Tempore McHenry so the House can resume governing," said Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), one of the twenty GOP lawmakers who voted against Jim Jordan on Tuesday. She cast her vote for ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
DEMS. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are also looking at the idea. "There are informal conversations which have accelerated over the past few days," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. "It is my hope now that it's clear Jim Jordan lacks the votes to be Speaker, that those conversations will accelerate."
UNITY. Again, no plan is going to be approved where Jeffries or any Democrat is made Speaker of the House. But we may reach a point where there will have to be some kind of bipartisan deal to get the House working again - simply because Republicans can't even agree on how to do that amongst themselves.
ISRAEL. With President Biden in Israel today, Senators will get a classified briefing on the latest in the war between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a confirmation hearing with President Biden's choice to be Ambassador to Israel.
NOMINATIONS. After months of delay, this Mideast crisis has finally spurred action on two other ambassadors, as the Senate has now approved a new ambassador to Kuwait and Oman. Republicans had prevented a final vote on those two nominations since April and June.
AID PLAN. The movement comes amid reports that the President will ask Congress for as much as $100 billion to fund aid packages for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and the U.S. southwest border. "We intend to get the package at the end of this week," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. "And it will include the military help Israel needs."
UKRAINE. While waiting for the details of the aid plan from the White House, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he definitely wants to support extra aid for Ukraine. "This is all interconnected," McConnell told reporters. "You've got the North Koreans, Iranians, the Russians and the Chinese sort of on the same side against the democratic world."
MENENDEZ. The unrest in the Mideast also raised some uncomfortable questions about Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who was indicted in part for accepting lavish gifts from agents of the Egyptian government. It was made clear yesterday that Menendez would not be attending today's classified briefing on Israel and Hamas.
FETTERMAN. Menendez was again mocked by Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). "Would it be awkward to attend a classified briefing on Israel when you’ve been accused of being a foreign agent for, let’s say, a country like Egypt," Fetterman tweeted. "Asking for a friend."
SUPREME COURT. Overshadowed by the hubbub over the Speaker of the House were remarks this week by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who told an audience in Minneapolis that it's time for the Supreme Court to strengthen the ethics code for the Justices. That's been demanded by Democrats in Congress after tales of Justices taking free vacations, private jet trips, and gifts.
BARRETT. "It would be a good idea for us to do it," Barrett said at an event held by the University of Minnesota Law School. Democrats immediately pounced. "Even Trump-appointed Amy Coney Barrett recognizes the Supreme Court needs ethics standards," said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
SENATE. Democrats have a bill to set up an ethics code of conduct for the Justices - but it won't go anywhere because of a threatened GOP filibuster. "It’s absurd that Supreme Court justices are allowed to serve lifetime terms with no real ethics guardrails," Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said Tuesday.
CASUALTY LIST. There are often surprises when it comes to the next election in Congress, and we had one on Tuesday, as Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) announced that she would not run for another term. Lesko chalked it up to pressures of regular life that most everyone can identify with.
LESKO. "I want to spend more time with my husband, my 94-year-old mother, my three children, and my five grandchildren," Lesko said in a statement, as she vented about Congress. "Right now, Washington, D.C. is broken; it is hard to get anything done."
NUMBERS. As of today, 16 members of the House won't be back after the next election - 11 are Democrats and five are Republicans. That overall number is certain to climb before primaries begin next year. Across the Capitol, 6 Senators won't return after 2024.
SHOEGATE. As the vote for Speaker of the House began on Tuesday, I was standing with fellow reporters in the Speaker's Lobby just off the House floor. Suddenly, one of the doorkeepers on the GOP side came over, and informed two female reporters that they would have to leave. Why? Their shoes were deemed unacceptable.
NOPE. One reporter left the Speaker's Lobby. One did not. And I will give kudos to that young woman, because she stood her ground for the crime of wearing what I would describe as comfortable, soft slip-on, cushion-soled shoes. (I bet if the soles were dark, instead of white, there would have been no issue.)
SNEAKERS. Basically, the powers that be said her shoes were sneakers - which they were not. This is what she was wearing, no different than the shoes being worn by a number of men (which I often refer to as ‘bowling shoes’).
WTF. I know nothing about women’s shoes. Thankfully, one female colleague found me in the Speaker’s Lobby (after seeing my tweet about Shoegate) and was absolutely aghast that the shoes in question had caused a problem.
EJECTED. A little later, a woman reporter wearing brown Adidas shoes - which definitely were sneakers - was asked to leave. She tried to stay by asking, "What if I take them off?" That did not work.
TWITTER. Of course, my initial tweet about Shoegate received 1 million views yesterday. My tweets about what was happening with the Speaker's race received about 5,000 on average.
COMMITTEES. In the wake of the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Democrats have rejiggered their committee assignments. Feinstein's plum seat on the Appropriations Committee will go to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) will take over Feinstein's seat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
GOLDEN STATE. As for Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) - who has replaced Feinstein in the Senate - she gets Feinstein's seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and on the Rules Committee. Butler will also be on the Banking and Homeland Security panels.
REMINDER. Remember when there were predictions that Senate Republicans would not let the Democrats fill those committee slots - even if Feinstein died? Yeah, that didn't happen. The Senate approved these changes last night by unanimous consent.
TRANSACTIONS. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) noted on Twitter that his chief of staff was married this past weekend in Cedar Rapids. Like a proud father, Grassley said the newlyweds were the 20th couple to get hitched after meeting while working in his Senate office.
HOWL-O-WEEN. The Senate on Tuesday approved a resolution allowing the use of the atrium in the Hart Senate Office Building for the 'Bipawtisan Howl-o-Ween Dog Pawrade' on October 31. (One note: no, the Hart building is not named for Gary Hart.)
RAP SHEET. A federal judge sentenced Rachel Powell - known as the 'Bullhorn Lady' - to over four years in jail for her actions on Jan. 6. The Pennsylvania woman smashed out a window in the Capitol with an ice pick. "It was a mistake and I’m sorry," Powell said - but the judge didn't buy her remorse.
WOLVERINE. A one-time GOP candidate for Governor in Michigan was sentenced to 60 days in jail for his actions on Jan. 6. Ryan Kelley climbed the inaugural day scaffolding on the West Front of the Capitol and repeatedly waved on other rioters to advance on police outside the building.
MUSE OF HISTORY. October 18, 1926. On this date, huge crowds in the streets of Washington, D.C. greeted Queen Marie of Romania, a granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria. After a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan, the Queen took the train to D.C., where she was driven past the Capitol and then to the Romanian Embassy. She met with President Coolidge at the White House the next day, and also visited Arlington Cemetery and Mount Vernon, part of a one-month tour of the U.S.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House meets at 11 am.
The Senate convenes at 10:30 am.
Check President Biden’s schedule.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.
Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
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I keep hearing predictions about whether the Dems will get control of the House again in 2024. But no talk about whether they can keep control of the Senate. It's such a razor thin margin there already and you say 6 are not returning? Do you see anything in your Jamie crystal ball?
Also, I'm kind of shocked that Kyrsten Sinema was given that seat on the Appropriations Committee, given that she dumped the Democrats to become an independent and was a thorn in their side (along with Manchin) for so long. Any insight there?
Politico is now reporting Rep. Don Bacon’s (R-Neb.) wife was threatened via anonymous text about what would happen to her husband’s political fortunes if he didn’t vote for Jim Jordan (Bacon turned out to be one of the 20 No votes on Mon). Sounds more like the tactics of a mob boss than a House Speaker. Wonder where Jordan and his goon squad learned that. Today’s vote should be interesting.