House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Monday grew closer to the requisite number of votes he will need to become the next Speaker after a key Republican who previously said he would not offer support changed his mind over the weekend.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) indicated last week that he wouldn’t support Jordan under any circumstances, according to local media reports, but he said he changed his mind after having a number of thoughtful conversations with the Ohio Republican.
As of Monday, however, reports indicated that Jordan is still around 15 to 19 votes short of the 217 needed to take the gavel. A vote is being scheduled for Tuesday, though Jordan said early Monday he believes the chamber will elect a Speaker during that crucial vote.
However, there are other efforts afoot to deny Jordan the speakership, Newsmax reported:
On Saturday, four centrist Democrats in the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus — Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Ed Case of Hawaii, Susie Lee of Nevada, and Jared Golden of Maine — wrote a letter to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., saying they would back him as temporary speaker in 15-day increments.
