October 17, 2023 11:37 AM UTC

"Gym" Jordan Heads For Defeat

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #2: Rep. Joe Neguse of Boulder channels the mood as “Gym” Jordan loses on his first ballot:

No word on when that next vote will take place.

In short, it’s January all over again.

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UPDATE: Rep. Ken Buck votes for Rep. Tom Emmer after missing the first roll call.

Ken Buck planting the Tom Emmer flag is significant, I think.

I think he could be where we’re headed if McCarthy doesn’t make a play.

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) October 17, 2023

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With the votes being counted right now in the election for the next Speaker of the House, GOP nominee for the post Rep. Jim Jordan appears to be circling the drain with at least 13 Republicans voting for other candidates–well in excess of the number needed to sink Jordan’s bid, unless a significant number of Republicans vote “present” to close the gap arithmetically:

With the number of no votes stubbornly high, some are trying to convince holdouts to vote present, per multiple sources.

This would, theoretically, make it easier for Jordan to be elected.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 17, 2023

Rep. Ken Buck, who told reporters once again this morning that he would vote against Jordan’s nomination, missed his first chance to vote in the roll call, which is leading to speculation he may be holding out to see how others vote before committing. As for Rep. Lauren Boebert, she’s reportedly sitting with her bestie Rep. Matt Gaetz and cheering on Jordan’s ineffectiveness as a lawmaker as a feature not a bug:

Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert applaud when Democrats note that Jim Jordan has never passed a bill in his nearly 17 years in office.

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) October 17, 2023

When your legislative philosophy boils down to the only good bills are dead bills, we guess that makes sense. We’re watching for any surprises as the roll call vote of the House proceeds, and we expect to update shortly that it’s back to the proverbial drawing board while the whole world waits impatiently for Republicans to figure out how to govern again.