Republican Congressman Jim Jordan at the Capitol Hill on October 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)

With Republicans enjoying only a slim majority in the House (221-212), Jordan needs votes from all but 4 of his GOP colleagues to win. The latest tally, with 199 Republicans voting for him and 212 Democrats voting for Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, gave no candidate a clear majority.

Two weeks ago, a handful of Republicans in the US House of Representatives managed to oust Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as party infighting plunged Congress into further chaos just days after it narrowly averted a government shutdown.

Early this year, it took the US House of Representatives 15 rounds of voting to elect McCarthy Speaker.