Revenge of the moderates
After spending years in Congress as a thorn in the side of GOP leadership, Rep Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) finally got a taste of what it's like trying to cobble together an unruly majority.
Why it matters: The founding Freedom Caucus co-chair came closer to the speakership than many could have imagined, but he still fell 20 votes short of what he needed — matching former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) worst ballot during January's historic 15-round election.
This time, though, it was an eclectic coalition of Biden-district Republicans, institutionalists, McCarthy allies and other assorted rebels who stood in the way — not the usual gang of conservative hardliners.
All 212 Democrats, meanwhile, remained united in support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who has received the most votes in 12 of the 16 speaker ballots held this Congress.
State of play: Jordan is staying in the fight but has delayed the second ballot until 11 am ET tomorrow, after initially telling reporters he planned to hold it this evening.
The delay will give Jordan a chance to keep whipping votes — and also hand more time to Fox News and conservative influencers to continue to carry out an aggressive pressure campaign against the holdouts.
But that tactic could easily backfire: "The millisecond anybody tries to intimidate me is the moment I no longer have flexibility," said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), who voted for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). "I have no intention of moving."
Between the lines: Jordan isn't working with an unlimited timetable like McCarthy was, with some Republicans speculating he may be bleeding support between ballots.
"Let's see what happens," Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) told Axios of her plans on the second ballot after voting for Jordan. "No one really knows."
One House Republican who spoke on the condition of anonymity predicted Jordan will pick up "not more than 5-7" of his detractors on the second vote — which would still put him short of the gavel.
What we're hearing: Bipartisan discussions about how to end the two-week speaker vacancy are growing in seriousness, given the very real concern no candidate can obtain 217 Republican votes, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.
Jeffries told reporters today there have been "informal conversations" he hopes "will accelerate this evening," given the sizable bloc of opposition Jordan faced in his first public test today.
All eyes are on Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.). He views his role as constrained to electing a new speaker, but centrists in both parties have pushed to empower him to oversee legislative business.