House Republicans voted via secret ballot Friday afternoon to remove Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, as their speaker nominee, Fox News Digital has confirmed.
House Republicans huddled behind closed doors to figure out a path forward after Jordan lost even more support for his House speaker bid in a third-round House vote earlier Friday.
GOP lawmakers are still in disarray more than two weeks after ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted.
Twenty-five Republicans voted for someone other than Jordan. Three people who had voted for Jordan in previous rounds switched their votes against him: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., and Thomas Kean, R-N.J.
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Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is running for House speaker. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Molinaro told reporters ahead of the vote that he would not be supporting Jordan now.
“It is not my intention to do so today. That doesn’t mean that I’ve closed the door entirely,” Molinaro said about voting for Jordan.
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“We had hoped, and I had worked with Congressman Jordan, to try to unify the conference. We are not unified. Opposition is entrenched. There is a level of anger and violence, threats of violence that are unacceptable. The best approach is to go back into our room and try to coalesce around a conservative candidate who can lead not only our conference, but Congress.,” Molinaro said.
Rep. Marc Molinaro switched his vote from Jordan after backing him in the previous two rounds. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Fitzpatrick told reporters after the vote that he doesn’t see Jordan “getting there.”
Kean, who voted for McCarthy on Friday, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “For the past nearly three weeks, my number one priority has always been getting Congress moving again to do the work of the American people. With great respect, it has become evident that Chairman Jordan does not and will not have the votes to become Speaker.”
“It is clear we need a conservative leader to helm the conference in this crucial time,” he said.
JORDAN LOSES HIS SECOND SPEAKER VOTE AS NEARLY TWO DOZEN REPUBLICANS OPPOSE HIM
Jordan himself was projecting confidence on the way to the House GOP meeting, telling reporters, “You guys said we’re going to lose 15-30. You know, we lost of a couple, and we had a few people missing.”
Meanwhile, Jordan also appears poised to lose at least one more supporter if he goes to the floor again Friday.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick also switched to opposing Jordan on Friday.
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Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who has been voting for Jordan, told reporters after the vote that he intends to vote for former President Donald Trump to be speaker in the next round — if one happens.
“We got the number two most popular Republican in our country, and we don’t want him — we, meaning collectively, us as a conference,” Nehls said. “So my fourth vote now, this is three, my fourth vote is for Donald J. Trump. I’m moving to Donald J. Trump.”
Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Kelly Phares contributed to this report