Explosive Showdown: Senior House Republican Predicts GOP Members Primed to Thwart Jordan's Ambitions

Multiple GOP sources say that House Republicans are discussing ways to prevent Rep. Jim Jordan from becoming Speaker of the House. According to one senior Republican member, approximately 40 members are against Jordan's candidacy, with 20 of them willing to actively obstruct his path by voting against him if he calls for a roll-call vote on Tuesday.

According to a member, approximately 20 individuals are aware that being prepared is crucial. They are determined not to allow a small group to dominate over the entire group. The small group aims to have the minority control the majority, but as a patriotic American, the member refuses to become a victim.

However, another source within the GOP, who is well-informed about the situation, claims that Jordan has engaged in positive discussions with members. The source believes that by Tuesday evening, Jordan will secure the position of speaker of the House. The source also states that there is a likelihood that the vote will take place on Tuesday, and if necessary, Jordan may resort to multiple ballots on the floor.

Republicans are anticipated to convene privately on Monday evening. Nevertheless, there exists significant resistance towards Jordan. A GOP member reveals that certain Republicans are skeptics of Jordan and are not inclined to support him. Additionally, there are individuals who are angered by the uncompromising faction that ousted Kevin McCarthy and undermined Majority Leader Steve Scalise. These individuals do not wish to commend those actions by electing Jordan, who is their favored contender.

"I am aware of numerous firm rejections. We cannot condone this conduct," stated the Republican lawmaker. "We must not allow a minority to wield excessive power."

Following Scalise's withdrawal from the race, the GOP conference named Jordan as their nominee for speaker last week. Initially, Scalise was chosen by the conference as their nominee, defeating Jordan 113-99 in the initial speaker vote. However, over a dozen Republicans declared their refusal to vote for Scalise, compelling him to withdraw.

Now, Jordan faces a similar problem as Republicans are angry about McCarthy's removal and a small group of conference members refuse to support Scalise even after he won the initial vote. Following Jordan's nomination, a second, confidential vote was conducted within the conference to determine whether Republicans would back him on the floor. Fifty-five Republicans voted against it.

To become speaker, a nominee must secure the majority of votes in the full House, which currently stands at 217 due to two vacant positions. This means that Jordan or any other Republican nominee can only lose four GOP votes on the floor, assuming every Democrat votes for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Some of Jordan's supporters have been advocating for floor votes in an effort to expose those who are not supporting the Ohio Republican. However, Representative Dan Crenshaw from Texas strongly criticized his fellow House GOP colleagues who plan on mobilizing public pressure to rally support for Jordan's speakership. He referred to it as the most foolish approach.

Crenshaw expressed his viewpoint to Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, stating, "If you truly want Jim Jordan, the worst thing you can do is to keep angering those individuals and making them more steadfast in their opposition."