Some Republican lawmakers are predicting that speaker candidate Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) will lose more votes on the third ballot scheduled for Thursday.
Jordan suffered an embarrassing defeat during the first round of voting Tuesday afternoon, with 20 Republicans casting their ballots against him.
In the second ballot Wednesday, that number climbed to 22.
According to anti-Jordan GOP lawmakers, that number will increase on Thursday’s third ballot.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told Fox News he’s “confident that in the next vote, [Jordan] is going to lose five or six more votes. He going to be going backwards.”
Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) told reporters: “I personally think that if we go to a third vote it’s gonna get worse. It could get a lot worse. Because people are, I think, most rational thinkers are believing that wow, the number grew, and he had all that time to kind of work on him.”
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) said: “I think there’ll be a pickup of folks who will be going for other people.”
“I think what is pretty clear is that this candidate does not and will not be able to get the Republican votes to become a speaker,” Diaz-Balart added. “So then now I think all of us have to get together and figure out what’s the next step.”
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) told CNN: “It’s clear [Jordan] doesn’t have the votes. Obviously it’s up to him if he wants to put it to a third ballot, I think you’ll see more folks dropping off on a third ballot. I don’t see the outcome changing here.”
Democrats meanwhile remain united behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), but 212 votes fall short of 217 needed to be elected House Speaker.
House Democrats and some Republicans are open to the idea of empowering Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C) to resume business in the House. McHenry has been serving as temporary Speaker since Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted two weeks ago.
