Republican Ohio Representative Jim Jordan plans to call for a vote on his quest for speaker on the House floor on Tuesday, according to a source who spoke to Fox News about the situation.
The source noted that most members will be back at the Capitol on Tuesday, making it an ideal day for a floor vote by the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who on Friday won the nomination for speakership in a vote by the Republican conference.
On Sunday, Democratic Party leaders in the House of Representatives told their caucus that the vote for speaker would take place on Tuesday at noon.
For Jordan to succeed in his effort to become speaker of the House of Representatives, he will need 55 of his Republican colleagues to back him in a vote held on the floor.
The Ohio politician faced an unexpected battle for the candidacy from Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., but he finally won in a 124-81 vote. However, after losing the earlier vote, Scott threw his support behind Jordan.
“I highly respect Jim Jordan,” Scott posted on social media after the vote. “He is an asset to the Republican Party and our nominee for Speaker.”
“Our conference has spoken, and now we must unite behind Jordan so we can get Congress back to work,” Scott added.
The House of Representatives adjourned for the weekend, providing Jordan with a window of opportunity to garner further support for his candidacy.
According to Jordan’s press secretary, Russell Dye, who was contacted for comment by Fox News Digital, the Republican from Ohio “has made it clear that he wants to unite the conference in order to pass the bills that the American people expect” which include his priorities of “giving Israel the resources they need to destroy Hamas, securing the border, and reforming the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.”
“He is looking forward to working with the entire conference to do so when he’s speaker,” Dye said.
With the regulations permitting a single member to call up a motion to vacate the chair, it’s unlikely McCarthy will make a comeback. It took 15 rounds of votes for McCarthy to win the gavel in January.
McCarthy has publicly backed Jordan and has not signaled interest in a new bid for House Speaker, which he was ousted from less than two weeks ago.
Though McCarthy still has his supporters. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, for instance, remains a McCarthy-only voter even after McCarthy’s ousting.
“I’m more solidly behind McCarthy now than ever,” Gimenez told reporters Friday. “We need Kevin McCarthy back.”
Another possibility would be to give North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry added authority as temporary House Speaker. After McCarthy’s ousting, McHenry became interim speaker. Still, his power to call votes or conduct House business is limited to calling votes for a speaker election.
A few House Democrats on the Problem Solvers Caucus proposed granting McHenry extended speaker powers in 15-day increments to address a limited number of issues, including spending bills and funding for Ukraine and Israel.
In exchange for the extended speaker powers, Democrats want half of the suspension bills on the calendar.
It seems unlikely that the deal would gain support from Republicans.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said this week, “I never supported that kind of maneuver, and I think Patrick McHenry was very clear that that is not going to happen.”