The chairman of the Judiciary Affairs Committee, Jim Jordan, one of the leading Republican Trumpists, was named his party’s candidate for the presidency of the House of Representatives on Friday during an internal vote, leaders of his party announced.
The House, controlled by the Republicans unlike the Senate with a Democratic majority, has been almost paralyzed since the surprise dismissal on October 3 of its “speaker” Kevin McCarthy, who exposed the gaping fractures of the party, one year before the presidential election. 2024.
This is the second vote this week within the parliamentary group, torn between moderate elected officials and troublemakers gravitating in the orbit of former President Donald Trump.
The previous one, Tuesday, was narrowly won by Steve Scalise, leader of the Republican majority in the House and elected from Louisiana, over Jim Jordan, supported in particular by Mr. Trump. But Mr. Scalise announced Thursday evening that he was abandoning his candidacy, as he was unable to gather enough votes to be elected “speaker”.
Mr. Jordan beat Austin Scott, another member of the conservative wing of the party, in a secret ballot on Friday. He received 124 votes against 81 for his opponent, according to American media.
Although defending fairly similar conservative positions, the two men split during the vote on the certification of the election of Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020, vehemently contested by Donald Trump: Jim Jordan had voted against the validation of the results and Austin Scott for.
A vote by the entire House of Representatives is not expected on Friday, with many elected officials from both parties having left Washington.