AOC makes 11th-hour call to block Jim Jordan in House speaker vote

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Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has argued that moderate Republicans must block Rep Jim Jordan from becoming House speaker.

CNN anchor Abby Phillip asked Ms Ocasio-Cortez: “Jim Jordan looks to be the person who Republicans will put up for a vote. You joined in [with] all Democrats in voting to get rid of Kevin McCarthy. Any regrets if Jim Jordan is the man who replaces him?”

“No. It has never been truly within the integrity and history of this institution for one party to elect another party’s member speaker,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez said on Monday night.

“We will see if Jim Jordan has the votes. We will see if individuals like Mike Lawler or Marc Molinaro, who represent New Yorkers in Hudson Valley, the Catskills, Westchester County, will actually vote to install a man who voted to overturn the United States’ election and who supports a national abortion ban to be speaker of the House, second in line to the presidency,” she added.

“I have my doubts that the people of New York would really stand for that. But in terms of the integrity of the institution, I think it’s important that we support Hakeem Jeffries as speaker of the House,” she said of the minority leader and Brooklyn congressman.

Asked if Mr Jordan is a better or worse option than Mr McCarthy, the ousted speaker, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said, “It’s difficult to say. Kevin McCarthy clearly eroded the institution. He held the entire US economy hostage with the debt limit”.

“He then went back on his word and his deal with the president in doing that. It was Kevin McCarthy that installed this and ultimately made the call for a one-person motion to vacate that led us into this mess to begin with. So, it’s difficult to say,” she added.

“But, I do believe that the entire Republican Party has an institution problem and that they have driven the entire country to the brink in this incredibly sensitive moment,” she concluded.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez later added to her call for action closer to midnight on Monday, sharing footage of her CNN appearance on X and writing: “If you do not want your GOP Representative to support Jim Jordan for Speaker, you should call them within the next 24 hours.”

Nebraska Republican Congressman Don Bacon announced his persistent opposition to Mr Jordan on Monday night, writing on X: “I’m not budging. I’m a five-time commander and deployed to Middle East four times. I’ll do what is best for country.”

According to CNN, Republicans considered to be a firm no on Mr Jordan as speaker include Mr Bacon, Mr Lawler, as well as Reps Mike Kelly, Carlos Gimenez, and Mario Diaz Balart.

Reps Ken Buck, Victoria Spartz, Steve Womack, and Marianette Miller-Meeks were leaning towards a no vote, the network noted.