Matt Murphy
Live Reporter, in Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

At the end of another day filled with drama in DC, the House is no closer to electing a new Speaker.

Republicans will break up for the weekend, with at least half a dozen candidates considering a tilt at the top job. They will spend much of the next few days trying to secure support in an increasingly worn out party.

We'll be back on Monday to cover the internal vote to chose the next Republican nominee, but in the meantime you can read this excellent analysis of Friday's chaos by our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher.

It's been another dramatic day on Capitol Hill. Here's what you might have missed in the chaos.

• Jim Jordan faced a third vote in his bid to become Speaker, but only won 194 of the 215 votes he needed
• The number of Republicans refusing to back him reached 25, up from 22 in Wednesday's ballot
• A number of members who previously backed Jordan changed their vote after concluding that he didn't have the support to become Speaker
• Republicans then held a secret ballot at a closed-door meeting in which a majority voted to remove Jordan as Speaker nominee
• They now plan to reconvene on Monday to try to agree on a new candidate, with several congressmen throwing their hats into the ring
• Meanwhile, Patrick McHenry, who is serving as interim Speaker, again dismissed calls from some Republicans for him to temporarily assume more of the Speaker's normal duties without a formal vote
• And former Speaker Kevin McCarthy said history would pillory the "crazy eight" lawmakers who ousted him earlier this month, adding that "the amount of damage they have done to this party and to this country is insurmountable"
• As Friday draws to a close, the House remains without a leader and is unable to pass bills on a number of urgent issues, including aid to Ukraine and Israel

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Republicans are back to square one. It’s a game of congressional snakes and ladders, where every space on the board is a serpent.

More than two weeks after a handful of House conservatives ousted Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s chair, the party is still looking for a someone who can successfully reach the top of the board.

Jim Jordan is only the latest, most determined casualty of a leadership drama that at every turn seems to get more chaotic and acrimonious.

After three very public failures in balloting before the full House, his end came quietly, by secret ballot, in a basement meeting with his fellow House Republicans. It is a fate that will make him a martyr for the party’s right wing, which will view his defeat as further evidence of a party establishment that is insufficiently dedicated to conservative values.

House Republicans now head home for the weekend to lick their wounds. A grab-bag of politicians have already either declared their bids for the speakership or are seriously considering them.

With Steve Scalise and Jordan - two of the most high-profile House Republican names - off the board, Monday’s candidate forum promises to be a raucous affair, where dark-horse candidates with little political baggage might find success.

With a Republican caucus so fractured, and nerves so raw at this point, it won’t be an easy task.

The snakes on the board aren’t going away anytime soon.

Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

Rep Chip Roy says that he has no concerns about how messy the process to pick a new Speaker has been.

“We’re laying this all out in public and the American people can see it. It is the sausage getting made.”

A reporter exclaims in response: “You think this looks good?”

Roy replies that “having the American people see how we are wrestling with tough decisions” is “a hell of a lot better” than the way Congress has been conducting business to date.

Messy process or not, a lot of reporters here - who have been following 17 days of complete chaos - are relieved their weekends remain intact.

Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill

After 17 days of debating and back-biting, a fractious and bitterly divided House Republican conference is back at square one.

Two contenders for McCarthy's job - his long-time deputy Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan - have risen to the nomination then lost it.

A backup plan to temporarily empower acting Speaker Patrick McHenry was also rejected this week, but could return to prominence.

McHenry told reporters that the party's second candidate forum since Kevin McCarthy's ouster will take place on Monday evening, with an internal vote to take place the following morning.

If a candidate emerges from that morass, we could see a vote on the House floor immediately thereafter.

Tom Emmer, the third highest ranking Republican in the House, is expected to join the race.

If he does, he will likely become the frontrunner for the nomination. That does not necessarily mean he has the numbers on his side to win the gavel - and already it appears there will be several others throwing their hat into the ring.

Image source, Getty Images

Its been less than an hour since Jim Jordan was ousted as the Republican nominee to be Speaker of the House, but already candidates are entering the race to replace him.

"My hat is in the ring," said Texas Republican Jack Bergman, the first congressman to formally announce his bid for Speaker.

"I have no special interests to serve," Bergman wrote in an announcement on his website. "I’m only in this to do what's best for our nation."

Other House Republicans were quick to follow his lead. Austin Scott from Georgia announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he's running too.

"I supported and voted for Rep Jim Jordan to be the Speaker of the House. Now that he has withdrawn I am running," Scott said.

He was soon followed by Rep Kevin Hern - who said Republicans need a leader with a "proven track record of success".

Other names mentioned for the job include Tom Emmer, Mark Green, Mike Johnson, Byron Donalds, Dan Meuser, Roger Williams and Jodey Arrington.

Image source, Getty Images

Interim Speaker Patrick McHenry said that Republicans would hold a candidate forum on Monday evening followed by an internal party election on Tuesday morning.

The aim is to have a vote on the floor of the House on Tuesday as well.

"It's my goal to be talking to you at this time next Friday as chairman of the Financial Services committee," said McHenry, referring to the committee he typically leads.

The specific schedule is as follows:

• Republican candidate forum on Monday at 18:30 local time (23:30 BST).
• Internal party election on Tuesday at 09:00 local time (14:00 BST).
• A vote on the House floor at an unknown time later on Tuesday.

Image source, Getty Images

The former Speaker Kevin McCarthy admitted Republicans would have to "go back to the drawing board" after Jim Jordan lost a secret conference ballot.

He said history would pillory the "crazy eight" lawmakers, led by Matt Gaetz, who ousted him from the top job in the House of Representatives.

"The amount of damage they have done to this party and to this country is insurmountable," he said.

The California lawmaker said he was "astonished" at the bad position the Republican party was put in by their actions. A party, he noted, that carries the responsibility of the majority party, which "America has trusted us with."

McCarthy did not say whether he would put his name in as a potential candidate, but he did emphasize the size of the role to any member of Congress who would consider becoming "the person third in line to the President."

"A lot of people here who might put their name in might not have the knowledge of what it takes," he said, noting that Jordan and recent candidate Steve Scalise could have tackled it. "So I hope we have some other people who are up for the job."

Image source, Getty Images

Moments ago Jim Jordan emerged from the meeting room where he was removed as his party's choice to become Speaker of the House.

He said Republicans had to unite behind one candidate, and put an end to the turmoil that has gripped the House.

"Its important we do unite. Let's, let's figure out who that individual is, get behind him and get to work for the American people," Jordan said.

"I'm looking to help the American people. And I'm also gonna go back to work we got we got several depositions lined up next week in the judiciary committee, work that we need to do for the American people in our investigative work."

Among the names that may be considered next week is Kevin Hern, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee.

Hern earlier stepped away from the race, making it a two-way race between Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise. Both have now withdrawn after failing to unite the party.

“I said when McCarthy was moved aside that we needed to work for unity, and unity was only having two candidates in the race,” he said.

The Republican conference was "looking for something different than what we've seen so far," he added, noting that leadership needed a different perspective than it has had for the past five years.

“Our delegation needs to have somebody who wants to work to unite them.”

Image source, Reuters

Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill

There are very strong words from the Republicans coming out - or storming out - of this meeting.

“How incredibly irresponsible it was for 208 Democrats and eight Republicans to put this House in absolute chaos without any kind of plan for how we were going to move forward,” said Dusty Johnson of South Dakota.

“This is a time where we need people who are interested in problem-solving, not self-aggrandizement.”

Johnson suggested names that would come up next week may be those who “have never thought of themselves” as Speaker choices.

“We need to give people some time to be thoughtful about what’s coming to them.”

Image source, Getty Images

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the right-wing Republican firebrand, told reporters after the secret ballot that "Jim Jordan is out of the race".

"We are supposed to come back for a candidate forum at 6:30 pm (22:30 GMT) on Monday," she said.

The Georgia congresswoman appeared glum at the results, perhaps because she had voted for Jordan three times and considers him a close ally.

She said that candidates would "put their name in" by the end of Sunday.

Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill

A string of Republicans walked out of this meeting looking utterly dejected and deflated.

Most refused to speak with us, some even refusing to acknowledge us as they hurried past.

When a reporter asked if Jordan had lost the secret ballot, Mario Diaz-Balart simply nodded in response and kept walking.

Vern Buchanan, his colleague from Florida, said Jordan had lost by a margin of 112 votes to 86.

A few, who are speaking to us, say there is a lot of work ahead before Republicans return on Monday.

Republicans have voted to remove Jim Jordan as their nominee for Speaker of the House, after he lost three successive floor ballots.

The Ohio Republican was ousted in an internal party vote, two representatives told the BBC.

Defeated and dejected House Republicans moved through the dark tunnels beneath the Capitol, mostly brushing off the rapid-fire questions coming from reporters as they headed to a party meeting.

Tight lipped, they occasionally gave the reporters crammed around them answers like “we’ll see” or “I hope so” when asked if Jim Jordan has enough support to become Speaker.

Texas Republican Troy Nehls, who earlier said he thinks Donald Trump should be on the next Speaker ballot, gave similarly vague answers.

He wouldn’t answer journalists directly whether there was a “secret ballot” or not, or what was happening behind closed doors.

But, he did say: “I already voted”, before walking away.

Brandon Drenon
Reporting from the Capitol

House Republicans are gathering in a closed-door meeting to hold a "secret ballot" on whether to remove Jim Jordan as Speaker designee, CBS news reports.

Heading into the meeting Republican Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie said a vote to remove Patrick McHenry, the speaker pro tempore, might also be on the secret ballot.

The reason for the secrecy, he said, was to avoid any pressure or intimidation that other House Republicans might face.Multiple representatives have reported facing harassment - even death threats - from Jordan's allies.

He told reporters he could not guarantee a secret ballot was happening but that that was the "presumption" going into the meeting.

As Massie heads to meet with other Republicans, the only thing that's certain is that House Republicans are still not on the same page.

Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

Texas congressman Troy Nehls says his next vote for Speaker will be for former President Donald Trump.

After the vote that just ended, Nehls told a reporter from The Messenger that there was "no path" forward for Jim Jordan's bid.

The ex-sheriff had already threatened online that he would do this.

He wrote on X on Thursday that Kevin McCarthy could not be Speaker despite having the support of 96% of the Republican conference, and that Jordan could not win in spite of being "one of the most popular Republicans in the country".

"If we leave this weekend without a Speaker, bring in the leader of our party — Donald J Trump," Nehls said.

Brandon Drenon
Reporting from the Capitol

Patrick McHenry, who is serving as interim Speaker, has again dismissed calls for him to take on the Speaker's duties without a formal vote.

"I'm not going to take a temporary position and undermine this institution," he told reporters just off the House floor. 


An increasing number of desperate House Republicans have lobbied the idea of McHenry assuming additional powers without a formalised vote.

"We need to keep the integrity of this institution," he said, adding any other way beyond what's outlined in the constitution is "an ill-conceived work around".

Rumours are circulating that far-right Republicans are calling for McHenry’s removal.

He told reporters that if there’s a formal vote and a majority agree that he should step down – “that’s exactly what I’d do”.

New York Republican Marc Molinaro said he supported Jim Jordan in two previous ballots because he believed the Ohio congressman "could unify our conference".

It appears he has lost that confidence, as he voted against Jordan on the third ballot today and threw his support behind former Congressman Lee Zeldin, who left Congress to run for governor in New York.

Molinaro said that "right now, he [Jordan] does not have the necessary votes to win".

But he said, as the country faces numerous crises, that it is clear members "need to get back to work and need a conservative who can win the Speakership".

Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We will not get a second vote right away today.

“We’ll have a conference,” Jim Jordan told reporters as he left the House floor, meaning Republicans will meet to plan their next move.

He grinned at assembled journalists but was tight-lipped as reporters fired off questions about what happens next after his third loss.

As House Republicans retreat behind closed doors to hash out their differences, it is unclear whether we will get another vote today at all.

Some Jordan allies have suggested to media outlets that votes may be held continuously through the weekend until Jordan is the nominee.

But, with the resistance against him only appearing to harden and some Republicans planning to skip town anyway, that may well turn out to be a terrible idea.

In the vote that just ended, Hakeem Jeffries received 210 votes, only five less than the magic number he needed to win the gavel.

A few more absences - we're not saying this will happen - and Republicans risk accidentally electing the Democratic leader as Speaker.