Jordan bested fellow speaker candidate Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) with a vote of 124-81, media reports have indicated.
A break in that unity helped spell the downfall of the former Speaker, US Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), in an October 3 vote. The motion to vacate the speaker's chair was brought by another Republican, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a member of a small right-wing dissident faction who felt McCarthy had betrayed his earlier promises by forging a deal to avoid a shutdown of the federal government on September 30.
In the debate prior to the vote on McCarthy's ouster, Jordan was among those who spoke in his favor. However, he has secured the endorsement of former US President Donald Trump,
Prior to Jordan's nomination by the House GOP Caucus, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) withdrew his nomination after realizing he didn't have the House-wide votes to win.
Asked about Jordan's prospects for victory, McCarthy said "he’s in a much stronger position" than Scalise was. "He’ll get there. I don’t see a problem with him getting there," McCarthy added.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) predicted earlier on Friday that if the GOP nominated Jordan for speaker, "they will be abandoning the Constitution. They’ll lose the House majority and they’ll deserve to."
“Jim Jordan was involved in Trump’s conspiracy to steal the election and seize power,” she said, referring to the events of January 6, 2021. “He urged that [former US Vice President Mike] Pence refuse to count lawful electoral votes.”
While in office, Cheney served as number-2 on the House select committee that investigated the insurrection, earning the last enmity of party leadership that resulted in her losing her reelection campaign in 2022.
When McCarthy became speaker in January 2023, it took 15 rounds of voting before he was able to secure a majority.