Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who twice failed to secure the required number of votes from his fellow Republicans, will now keep running for speaker of the House, contradicting earlier reports.
After eight Republicans united with Democrats to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker, the House has been without a leader for weeks.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) first proposed the motion shortly after the House was able to approve a measure averting a government shutdown.
In order to secure the 217 votes required to become speaker, Jordan has battled over the past week to win over moderate Republicans.
He changed his mind about supporting Rep. Patrick McHenry’s (R-NC) promotion to temporary speaker, telling reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday that he still intends to compete for speaker.
“So I’ll just say this. We made we made the pitch to members on the resolution as a way to lower the temperature and get back to work. We decided that wasn’t where we’re going to go,” Jordan said.
“I’m still running for speaker and I plan to go to the floor and get the votes and win this race. But I want to go talk with a few of my colleagues. Particularly, I want to talk with the 20 individuals who voted against me so that we can move forward and begin to work for the American people.” he continued.
[READ MORE: Biden Official Quits in Protest Over U.S. Support for Israel]
