US House to Vote for Speaker on 17th... Republicans Strive to Secure Majority

'Pro-Trump' Jim Jordan, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Makes Last-Minute Persuasion
55 Members Expressed Opposition in Second Intra-Party Primary
"Atmosphere Reversing... The Wall of Opposition Gradually Crumbling"

The House of Representatives, currently experiencing the first-ever speaker vacancy in the history of the U.S. Congress, will hold a plenary session on the 17th (local time) to elect the speaker and conduct a vote. Jim Jordan, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the second speaker candidate from the Republican majority party, is making every effort to persuade party members, with attention focused on whether he can secure the majority 'magic number' of 217 votes.

Republican Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, nominated as a candidate for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

According to the Washington Post (WP) and others on the 16th, Republican Tom Emmer, the House Majority Whip, informed members the previous day that a vote to elect the speaker would take place at noon on the 17th during the House plenary session. It is expected that Jordan, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, will run for the Republicans, while Hakim Jeffries, the House Minority Leader who ran during the speaker election earlier this year, will represent the Democrats.

The speaker election proceeds by nominating candidates, after which members are called in order and directly state the name of the candidate they support. To win, a majority of the total membership (433 members) is required, which is 217 votes. Currently, the Republicans hold 221 seats in the House, and the Democrats hold 212 seats. For Jordan to be elected, there must not be more than five defections within his party.

Jordan received 99 votes in the first speaker election held on the 11th but lost to Steve Scalise, the House Majority Leader, who received 113 votes. Immediately afterward, Scalise voluntarily withdrew from the candidacy due to difficulties in persuading the party's hardliners. Jordan, a pro-Trump hardliner, received 124 votes in the second election held on the 13th.

During the second election process, the Republicans separately confirmed through a vote whether members would support Jordan in the plenary vote, and 55 members cast opposing votes. Persuading these members is seen as the key to this vote, with many analyses in U.S. political circles emphasizing this point. Some have suggested that the vote might be postponed until Jordan is confident of securing 217 votes.

However, after the second election, Jordan actively engaged in persuasion efforts with members who voted against him, and foreign media reported that the atmosphere changed significantly over the weekend. Notably, Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who had strongly opposed Jordan becoming speaker, declared his support, drawing attention.

WP, citing Republican members, reported, "If Jordan does not secure 217 votes on the first ballot, he will get them on the second or third," adding that "opposition is rapidly being overturned." The U.S. political media outlet Politico also reported, "Two Republican House members who had previously strongly opposed him have publicly supported him, and others are softening their opposition," stating, "The wall of opposition to Jordan is beginning to crumble 24 hours before the speaker vote."

However, some members, including Representative Carlos Gimenez, still expressed support for the ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and some members have neither publicly opposed nor expressed support. This raises the possibility that, as with the 15 rounds of voting for McCarthy earlier this year, repeated votes may be necessary for the speaker election.

Jordan has sent letters requesting support to Republican House members, urging them to unite to work for the American people, and is conducting last-minute persuasion efforts targeting members who do not support him.

On the day, Jordan told CNN, "We cannot open the House and do work for the American people or help Israel without a speaker," adding, "I hope we can secure 217 votes before the plenary session, but I don't know if that's possible. The only way to do this is to hold the vote tomorrow as the law intends." When asked if a second vote would be held if the speaker is not elected on the first ballot, he said, "Tomorrow we will elect the speaker," indicating his determination to continue the voting process until a speaker is chosen.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.