Washington - On Friday, Representative Jim Jordan secured the Republican nomination to lead the U.S. House of Representatives. However, his hardline conservative stance fell short of the support required to become the Speaker.

Successive closed-door votes left Jordan with the majority of backing from House Republicans but still shy of the 217 votes needed to win the Speaker's position. Consequently, the House will remain without a permanent leader until at least Monday as Republicans decided to adjourn for the weekend.

Internal discord among Republicans has left the House in a deadlock for almost two weeks, with lawmakers unable to agree on a successor to Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted by a small group of Republicans on October 3.

In an initial vote, Jordan secured the endorsement over Austin Scott, a Georgia lawmaker with a relatively low profile during his 12 years in Congress, with a vote count of 124-81. In the second round of voting, Jordan's support increased only slightly, winning 152-55. This means that approximately one in four House Republicans voted against Jordan.

His inability to secure the required votes leaves Jordan short of becoming Speaker, a powerful role second only to the Vice President in the line of presidential succession. The narrow Republican majority in the chamber, with a count of 221-212, leaves little room for further defections, as Democrats are expected to vote against Jordan.

Earlier in the week, Jordan narrowly lost the nomination to Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, who was seen as the heir apparent to McCarthy. However, Scalise withdrew from the race after failing to consolidate Republican support.

Some Republicans have pointed to deeper issues within the party, beyond just a leadership vacuum. They expressed concerns about a lack of unity and teamwork.

Jim Jordan is known for his hardline conservative stance and is a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of far-right members who have often challenged GOP leadership. He is also a close ally of former President Donald Trump and has been a vocal defender of Trump's false claims of election fraud in 2020. Jordan currently chairs the Judiciary Committee and is actively involved in the impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden, a process that Democrats deem baseless.

Despite his confrontational style, some Jordan supporters believe it could be an asset in negotiations with President Biden and the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The absence of a speaker has left the House at an impasse while international conflicts intensify, government funding deadlines approach, and urgent issues demand attention.

In the midst of this uncertainty, Democrats and some Republicans had hoped to avoid a repeat of the spectacle in January when hardline conservatives forced McCarthy to endure 15 floor votes over four days before becoming Speaker.

While McCarthy was the first Speaker in U.S. history ousted by a chamber vote, the last two Republicans in the position, John Boehner and Paul Ryan, also faced pressure from their party's right-wing factions and left the role under duress.