WASHINGTON — None of the Texas House Republicans budged when it came to Rep. Jim Jordan’s third floor vote. The same 22 Texans backed the Ohio firebrand, while the same three appropriators — Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio — again declined to vote for him on Friday. 

What You Need To Know

  • None of the Texas House Republicans budged when it came to Rep. Jim Jordan’s third floor vote

  • Following the third ballot, members met behind closed doors and Jordan lost a secret vote that gauged whether he had the confidence of the conference and it became clear he did not

  • Jordan dropped his bid, and now new members will get the opportunity to run for speaker

  • There could be a few Texas House Republicans in the running

Following the third ballot, members met behind closed doors and Jordan lost a secret vote that gauged whether he had the confidence of the conference and it became clear he did not. 

“It’s unfortunate, but this is the way democracy works,” said Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville. “I supported McCarthy, I supported Scalise, I supported Jordan, and we’ll see what it’s going to be.” 

Jordan dropped his bid, and now new members will get the opportunity to run for speaker. By the end of the day, there were at least a half dozen Republicans who threw their hat into the ring.  

“God bless all of these people who put their names forward. All the stuff that we’re wrestling with, because it’s a hell of a lot better than the way the rest of the world has always done it,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R- Austin. 

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Sherman, said 112 voted against Jordan and 86 voted for him in the internal ballot. 

“We’re gonna have like nine candidates, and that’s healthy, good to get it out there. We need a hard reset. But whoever comes out of that process, whoever boils out of it, I think you need 221 votes on the floor,” Fallon said. 

There could be a few Texas House Republicans in the running. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Waco, officially announced his candidacy. 

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“Congressman Sessions believes he can forge a positive path as a conservative leader who can unite the conference. During his congressional career, he has played a vital role in the Republican Party, in Texas and nationally, including a decade in party leadership,” said Sessions’ office in a statement.

Sessions touts his work as the former chair of the powerful Rules Committee, as well as the former chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee when the House reclaimed the majority and netted 63 seats in 2010. He lost his long-held seat in North Texas to Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, in 2018, but returned to Congress when he won in a different congressional district in 2020.  

There are also two current committee chairmen who are also reportedly considering a run. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, is the chair of the Budget Committee. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Cleburne, is chair of the Small Business Committee. Neither announced that they were officially running. 

But in an interview with Spectrum News on Tuesday, Williams said, “I was a big supporter of Kevin McCarthy, and it was not a good idea to oust a man that had what 96% of support, but the system allows for that. I think it’s working now.” 

“Once we get that done, we’ll get on about our business. I think the American public several months now will forget this even happened,” he continued. 

The conference is expected to host a candidate forum on Monday evening before voting on their next nominee.