Jim Jordan Gains Ground for House Speaker But Still Short of Support; Two Latinos Playing Key Role

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has been gaining support to become Speaker of the House, but still faces opposition from a small number of representatives who, however, could be enough to prevent him from gaining the gavel.

Jordan Initially faced opposition from a significant group of republicans, with 55 of them expressing their opposition. However, during the past days he engaged in individual negotiations with many and attacked some of the holdouts, warning of political consequences to those who opposed his bid.

Two of the holdouts are Latinos: Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) said he would vote against him on the floor, while his colleague from the same state, Carlos A. Gimenez (R-FL), said he would continue to vote for McCarthy on the floor.

Jordan still plans on holding a vote on the floor on Tuesday. "The American people deserve to have their Congress, their House representatives, working. And you can't have that happen until you get a speaker," he said.

Some issues dominating the public conversation are putting further pressure on the vote, as the House can't consider legislation until electing a Speaker. Passing additional military aid to Israel or Ukraine, or a bill to avert a government shutdown in November are among them.

Jordan needs 217 votes to win the nomination, and considering that his party has a razor-thin majority in the chamber, he can only afford to lose a handful of republican votes, as getting support from Democrats is all but impossible and the party is united behind Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to elect him should a vote be called. According to CNN, he believes the number of holdouts is now lower than 10.

Overall, republicans have 221 representatives, and Florida Congressman Gus Bilirakis will be away from the Capitol on Tuesday to attend a funeral, meaning Jordan can only afford to lose three votes. But even if he loses at first, he can still force subsequent votes, just like McCarthy did 15 times before getting elected as Speaker.

According to The Hill, it was learned at the last minute that Jordan made significant gains by switching his vote from four Republicans who had previously publicly opposed him: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Reps. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Vern Buchanan (Fla.). Ann Wagner (R-MO), Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Vern Buchanan (R-FL).

Jordan's victory would be a setback for advocates of a moderate position on immigration issues affecting the Latino community. Jordan was one of the main opponents of another Speaker of the House, John Boehner, who was forced to resign or face impeachment like McCarthy. Boehner was a supporter of immigration reform and championed the Dreamers at the time.