“Yeah there will be a vote today,” Jim Jordan says to @FoxReports, suggesting a conference meeting could happen first. Timing uncertain

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 19, 2023

Refusing to drop out, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan has brought the House speaker’s race to a stalemate — the hard-fighting ally of Donald Trump has been unable to win the gavel but he and his far-right allies won’t step aside for a more viable GOP nominee.

The House is tentatively set to convene sometime Thursday afternoon for Jordan to try again.

But there’s a sinking realization that the House could remain endlessly stuck, out of service and without a leader for the foreseeable future as the Republican majority spirals deeper into dysfunction. The impasse has left some Republican lawmakers settling in for a protracted stretch without a House speaker.

[A conference first would be a good idea, because another vote at the moment may end up embarrassing Jordan further. One House Republican got death threats over her opposition to Jordan and now won’t budge at all, and others are getting unhappier over the pressure tactics being applied on Jordan’s behalf. He’s already under 200, and if the next vote increases his opposition again, the conference will have to force an end to the Jordan campaign. Look for the McHenry option to come to the floor today. — Ed]