- Jim Jordan's allies are getting increasingly desperate to rescue his speakership bid.
- 7 of the Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy are essentially offering themselves up as sacrifices.
As Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio continues to hemorrhage support in his quest for the speaker's gavel, a group of Republicans are essentially offering themselves as human sacrifices.
Figurately, not literally.
In a letter to their House Republican colleagues, 7 of the 8 Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership said they're "prepared to accept censure, suspension, or removal" from the House GOP conference if that's what it takes to win over some of the holdouts.
"We understand that some in the Conference wish to punish us," the lawmakers wrote.
Interestingly, one of the names on the letter is Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, who has also refused to support Jordan due to concerns about his inability to state clearly that the 2020 election was not stolen.
Asked about that by reporters, he disavowed his inclusion in the letter, saying it was a mistake.
—Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 20, 2023
The lawmakers' effort is unlikely to change anything about Jordan's doomed speakership bid.
Earlier on Friday, 25 Republicans voted against the Ohio Republican, giving him the lowest percentage of votes for the majority party's nominee for speaker since 1859 — before the Civil War. And he keeps losing support with each successive vote.
But the letter underscores something very real — that Republican are continuing to seethe over the ouster vote from two weeks ago, particularly in light of the chaos that's unfolded since.
Last night, Republican Rep. Greg Murphy of North Carolina apparently blocked Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina — one of the eight — on Twitter after he said she should apologize for "causing this mess."
—Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (@RepGregMurphy) October 19, 2023
House Republicans are set to vote behind closed doors at 1 pm on whether Jordan should remain the party's nominee.