Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) voted against House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as Speaker of the House today, after twice voting in favor of Jordan during speaker votes earlier this week.
Kean instead voted for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted more than two weeks ago.
“For the past nearly three weeks, my number one priority has always been getting Congress moving again to do the work of the American people,” Kean said in a statement. “With great respect, it has become evident that Chairman Jordan does not and will not have the votes to become Speaker.”
Jordan failed to be elected speaker during votes on Tuesday and Wednesday due to opposition from a collection of 20 or so Republicans, most of whom are on the moderate end of the caucus or hail from swing districts. Today, thanks to those same Republicans – with Kean and two others joining their ranks – Jordan failed the third speaker vote as well.
The overall tally was 210 for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), 194 for Jordan, and 25 for a variety of other non-Jordan Republicans. Four representatives did not vote – among them Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-Newark), whose office said he was advised to miss the vote due to a “minor health issue” but should be able to return for any afternoon votes if they occur.
All other New Jersey Democrats supported Jeffries, while Republican Reps. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) and Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) both continued their support of Jordan.
Kean, who represents the most competitive district in New Jersey, had remained quiet about his reasoning for voting for Jordan on earlier ballots. But the congressman has always been a loyal backer of McCarthy, supporting the former speaker during all 15 initial rounds of speaker votes last January and during the motion to oust McCarthy on October 3.
“It is clear we need a Conservative leader to helm the conference in this crucial time,” Kean said in his statement today, which was released a few minutes before he voted. “Therefore, for the good of the country, my district, and this institution, I will cast my next vote for Kevin McCarthy.”
As for New Jersey Democrats, they’re increasingly fed up with a process that has now paralyzed the House for 17 days with no clear resolution on the horizon.
“Given what’s going on in the world, it’s nothing short of remarkable that Republicans cannot get their act together,” Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) said. “It’s become an almost existential threat to the survival of Congress, and at some point common sense has to wake up.”
This story was updated at 12:06 p.m. with information about the final speaker tally, and again at 12:20 p.m. with comment from Rep. Norcross.