Rep. Greg Pence
WASHINGTON — Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, voted in favor of Jim Jordan’s nomination for Speaker of the House on Tuesday as Republicans unsuccessfully tried to elect the Ohio firebrand in a first vote.
Pence, who is in third term in Congress, had been mum on who he would support to take over the gavel after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy became the first in history to be ousted from the role earlier this month.
Pence had voted against removing McCarthy from the speakership and characterized the effort to oust the former Speaker and select a new one as “a waste of time” that “disrupts our ability to govern.”
Other House Republicans representing Indiana — Reps. Jim Baird, Jim Banks, Larry Buschon, Erin Houchin and Rudy Yakym — also voted in favor of Jordan.
The two House Democrats representing Indiana — Reps. André Carson and Frank Mrvan — voted in favor of the Democratic nominee for Speaker, Rep. Hakeem Jefferies, D.-N.Y.
In the first vote, Jordan received 200 votes, while Democratic Speaker nominee Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., received 212 votes.
Former Speaker McCarthy received six votes and former GOP Speaker nominee Steve Scalise, R-La., received seven votes. Several other House Republicans voted for other candidates, including Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., voted for Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
No candidate received a majority of votes. Following the vote, the House went into recess and it was unclear Tuesday when the next round of voting would take place.
