Jordan Presses Ahead With Speaker Vote, Despite Stubborn Opposition

Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio made it clear on Friday morning that he was not giving up in his faltering campaign to be House speaker just ahead of a 10 a.m. vote in which he was expected to fail for a third time.

At a brief news conference, Mr. Jordan emphasized the need for the House to elect a new leader so the chamber could resume its business, including providing assistance to Israel as it responds to the attacks by Hamas.

“We need to get to work for the American people,” he said, adding, “We need to get a speaker as soon as possible.”

The House has been in a state of chaos for 18 days after hard-right rebels ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The Republican conference’s initial nominee to succeed him, Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, failed to muster enough support to move forward. Mr. Jordan then received his party’s nomination to be speaker, but he failed to win the post in votes by the full House on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A favorite of former President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Jordan has seen his bid for speaker blocked by a group of mainstream Republicans harboring a litany of complaints against him. And a pressure campaign Mr. Jordan’s allies have waged against them has produced an intense backlash.

Mr. Jordan met Thursday with some of the 22 holdouts against him. But they remained dug in and encouraged him to drop out of contention.

Allies of Mr. Jordan have urged him to force votes on his nomination throughout the weekend, even though opposition against him was expected to grow.