New Delhi:

Republican Jim Jordan’s quest to become speaker of the US House of Representatives ended on Friday. Mr Jordan failed to secure the number of votes required to take over the position. Now, as the race begins again, all eyes are on the frontrunners — Tom Emmer,  Kevin Hern, Mike Johnson, and Jack Bergman.

1. Tom Emmer

Congressman Tom Emmer is one of the strongest contenders in the race. He announced his GOP’s nomination for speaker on Friday.

Mr Emmer, who has former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s support, took to his official X (earlier known as Twitter) account and wrote, “The American people elected us to deliver on a conservative agenda that secures our border, stops reckless spending, and holds Joe Biden accountable. We cannot afford to fail them. I’m running for Speaker of the House to bring our conference together and get back to work.”

The American people elected us to deliver on a conservative agenda that secures our border, stops reckless spending, and holds Joe Biden accountable.

We cannot afford to fail them.

I’m running for Speaker of the House to bring our conference together and get back to work. pic.twitter.com/kVFmlQ70PS

— Tom Emmer (@GOPMajorityWhip) October 21, 2023

2. Kevin Hern

Kevin Hern is the chairman of the Republican Study Committee. Not many would know, but Mr Hern used to own a McDonald’s franchise. 

At the time of announcing his participation in the race for US House Speaker, Mr Hern said, “We need a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I am running for Speaker of the House.”

We need a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I’m running for Speaker of the House. pic.twitter.com/updVLkDCGh

— Congressman Kevin Hern (@repkevinhern) October 20, 2023

3. Mike Johnson 

Mike Johnson represents the 4th Congressional District of Louisiana.

He is also the Vice Chairman of House Republicans, as per his bio on X. 

Mr Johnson announced his candidacy in a detailed post on the social media platform. 

I’m in! pic.twitter.com/VSn14QkHEG

— Rep. Mike Johnson (@RepMikeJohnson) October 21, 2023

4. Jack Bergman

Jack Bergman, who represents the Michigan first district, has also been billed as one of the top contenders for the position of the House Of Speaker. 

Bergman officially announces his speaker bid. pic.twitter.com/tWZgliesBW

— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) October 21, 2023

Mr Bergman is the highest-ranking combat Veteran to have ever served in the US House.

Washington:

US lawmakers rejected hard-line conservative Jim Jordan’s bid for speaker of the US House of Representatives for a second time on Wednesday, as the leadership vacuum paralysing Washington entered a 15th day with no clear resolution in sight.

The lower chamber of Congress has been in a tailspin since Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by his party’s far right on October 3 — unable to address a looming government shutdown or war in the Middle East.

Jim Jordan, an acolyte of scandal-engulfed Donald Trump, could only afford to lose four Republicans, but 22 of his colleagues rejected his candidacy in the second ballot — two more than were against him a day earlier.

The Israel-Hamas conflict, a renewed push for aid to Ukraine and the threat of a government shutdown have dramatically upped the stakes, with Republican aides hoping the urgent need for Congress to respond would unite the fractured party.

But Mr Jordan’s centrist colleagues, already wary of his hard-right politics, voiced irritation over a concerted effort to whip extra votes for the 59-year-old former wrestling champion.

“Each day that passes without a speaker of the House is a national security risk,” said Jordan supporter and California Republican David Valadao.

“I voted for the Republican Conference’s nominee for speaker because we must get back to work, and we cannot do that until we have a speaker.”

Mr Jordan’s second defeat compounded growing angst around the speaker’s race and disarray within the Republican Party, with no immediate plans for a third vote and many — including Valadao — pushing to expand the limited powers of the largely ceremonial caretaker speaker.

No clear alternative

Jim Jordan, the chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, will be expected to show significant progress if he takes the contest to a third round, but the holdouts appear to be dug in.

His Republican opponents met after voting against him for the first time Tuesday and nearly all reaffirmed their objections, with some predicting Jordan would only hemorrhage more support.

The Ohio lawmaker has little of the goodwill among the rank-and-file that McCarthy spent years cultivating and it is unlikely that they would indulge him in the 15 rounds of voting that it took to get his predecessor elected.

Party strategists worry that Jordan going backwards could herald days of further deadlock, as there is no obvious alternative with the support and the profile to corral a party that has become synonymous with division and dysfunction.

“And why run for the mayor of a city that’s just been nuked?” asked online politics outlet Punchbowl News.

There is momentum behind a push to formally appoint caretaker speaker Patrick McHenry for a limited period of perhaps a few months — expanding his purely ceremonial powers so that he can bring legislation to the floor.

“After two weeks without a speaker of the House and no clear candidate with 217 votes in the Republican conference, it is time to look at other viable options,” Ohio congressman Dave Joyce said in a statement reported by politics newspaper The Hill.

“By empowering Patrick McHenry as Speaker Pro Tempore we can take care of our ally Israel until a new Speaker is elected.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)