Jim Jordan, the Republican representative from Ohio, is at the center of political attention in the United States right now, as he tries for the second time to be elected speaker of the House of Representatives. Jordan, who is known to be a close ally of former President Donald Trump, is seeking to take the reins of the lower house of Congress, which is currently paralyzed by internal divisions within the Republican Party.
The House of Representatives, which is currently without a president since the impeachment of Kevin McCarthy in early October, is in a political impasse. Republicans, who are responsible for electing the House speaker, are unable to agree on a candidate, highlighting divisions within the party.
Jim Jordan is the only Republican candidate vying for House Speaker, but he failed to get enough votes in the previous two votes. Around twenty moderate elected officials from the party criticize him for having too extreme positions and refuse to support him. In addition, Democrats criticize his ambiguous support for Donald Trump and his questioning of the results of the 2020 presidential election. These criticisms hinder his candidacy.
Faced with this impasse, the Republicans are considering several scenarios to emerge from the crisis. They could temporarily strengthen the powers of acting House Speaker Patrick McHenry or seek an alliance with Democrats to form a cross-partisan coalition.
This complex political situation highlights the deep divisions within the Republican Party and highlights the tensions that have persisted since the storming of the Capitol last January. It remains to be seen how Republicans will overcome this crisis and elect a new Speaker of the House. In the meantime, the American Congress is deprived of its main powers and the functioning of the institution is greatly hampered.