The GOP's congressional chaos deepens as Jim Jordan tries to put quest for House speaker on hold

• Jim Jordan attempted to avoid a third vote to become speaker of the House on Thursday.
• He wanted to give Rep. Patrick McHenry power over the House through January 3 so he could try to gain more support.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan briefly paused his quest to be the next speaker of the House after two votes that failed to garner enough support in his own party. Jordan, a staunch conservative, then sought to buy time to build support by giving Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry of North Carolina power over the House through January 3, but after GOP lawmakers balked at that arrangement Jordan said he expected to hold a third vote for speaker.

Jordan's initial plan to temporarily expand McHenry's power through the year was reported by The New York Times. The Washington Post also reported that Jordan wanted to pause his speaker bid. He'd aimed to continue to try to build support for his speakership bid in the meantime, the Times reported.

Jordan lost ground on the second ballot on Wednesday, foreshadowing his exit. Twenty-two Republicans voted against Jordan, sending him below the 200-vote threshold that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California always managed to surpass during his own marathon, 15-round speakership fight in January.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York was unanimously backed by the Democratic caucus, earning 212 votes but still short of the majority needed to win the speaker's gavel.

The opposition to Jordan was far from monolithic, but several key factions lined up against him. Six of the 18 Republicans that represent districts President Joe Biden won in 2020 voted against Jordan. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger of Texas and five GOP members on her panel voted against Jordan, a sign that his years of trying to sink spending bills have generated some hard feelings.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana was briefly the party's nominee for the speakership, but he abandoned his own campaign as it became apparent he wouldn't be able to obtain the requisite votes needed to secure the gavel.

Some lawmakers have discussed renominating McCarthy, though the eight Republicans who engineered his historic ouster from the speakership seem highly unlikely to support such a move.

An increasing number of House Republicans want to give McHenry more authority, potentially giving him powers resembling a full-fledged speaker for a limited period of time.

Earlier on Wednesday, Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota told CNN's Manu Raju that such a resolution would be a "non-starter."

But Democrats are seemingly open to a move that would temporarily empower McHenry in exchange for key legislative concessions that would essentially unfreeze the House.

Jordan will almost certainly remain chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, where he has led the GOP's efforts to impeach Biden.

This story has been updated to include new information about Jordan's attempt to pause his bid for the Speakership. A previous version of the headline erroneously stated that he'd ended his bid altogether.