House Republicans drop Jim Jordan as their nominee for speaker, stumbling back to square one

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, talks with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and others on Oct. 19, 2023. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Republicans dropped Rep. Jim Jordan on Friday as their nominee for House speaker, making the decision during a closed-door session after the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump failed badly on a third ballot for the gavel.

Afterward, Jordan said simply of his colleagues, “We put the question to them, they made a different decision.”

The hard-charging Judiciary Committee chairman said House Republicans now need to come together and “figure out who our speaker is going to be.”