Rep. Nancy Mace Announces Support for Rep. Jim Jordan for House Speaker Amidst Unprecedented Crisis in Israel

Washington — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) announced on Sunday that she will support Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for House Speaker. Mace was among a small group of Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the role last week.

The global crisis unfolding in Israel is putting renewed scrutiny on Congress, which has been without a permanent House speaker since McCarthy’s ousting. Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday, leaving hundreds dead and escalating a decades-long conflict in the region.

Mace told “Face the Nation” that she will be supporting Jordan for speaker. “We’ve been one of the least productive Congresses inside of 30 years and he’s going to be a workhorse for our country,” she said.

However, Rep. Patrick McHenry, the Speaker Pro Tempore, is effectively powerless on the matter. This post-9/11 rule was designed for continuity of government, and not for an unprecedented political situation like the one we are in now.

The House rules state that the interim speaker can only act on matters that relate to the election of a new Speaker: gavel in, gavel out, and preside. With Mace’s announcement, Jordan is now the front-runner for the role of House Speaker. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to garner enough support to be elected.