DLNews Politics:

Once a tormentor of the Republican Party’s speakers, the Ohio congressman and unapologetic right-wing pugilist has become a potential speaker. But some of the same members who vowed to block him from taking the gavel may now be willing to elect him.

Having emerged victorious in a secret ballot held Friday morning, Jordan will need to secure the support of 217 House Republicans when he heads to the floor for a total vote next week, according to several lawmakers. A reversal of the initial vote by some members, particularly Scalise allies, would leave him with the needed majority.

The backers of Scalise, who won the GOP’s first internal speaker ballot but later withdrew, remain angry at how Jordan handled the race, and they have been calling for him to be excluded from the next round of voting. The Ohio congressman pushed back, arguing that he won the election by conference rules. He also aimed at his rivals, calling them “a gang of snakes.”

A fiery former member of the Republican Main Street Coalition, Jordan’s reputation as a thorn in leadership's side weighed heavily against him in his bid to replace Kevin McCarthy, who stepped down after being shot last month. The group's moderates feared that a Jordan victory would hurt their reelection prospects in swing districts.

But the rift over his candidacy isn’t solely about his relationship with the Freedom Caucus, the conservative group that he founded. He is also a fierce Trump ally and oversees critical House GOP investigations, which Democrats have criticized as being hyper-partisan and designed to shield the former president ahead of 2020. He has also resisted requests to appear before the panel investigating the Jan. 6 shooting attack on the Capitol.

One rebuttal to Jordan came from a woman who backed him in the initial vote. Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri said it was a “non-starter” to put him in the position because he has refused to cooperate with the panel’s inquiry into the attack. She cited his refusal to honor a subpoena, his refusal to testify before the committee, and the fact that he had threatened to resign if he was elected speaker.

Some of the same centrists who opposed Jordan as a candidate are now floating alternatives, including acting Speaker Patrick McHenry of North Carolina and Florida Reps. Byron Donalds and Kevin Hern. Those Republicans have also argued that the party must move beyond its petty infighting and that any candidate should be willing to work with Democrats to resolve issues like a divided Supreme Court or funding for border security. But it’s unclear whether candidates can pull together most House Republicans. And that means a long road remains for Jordan to become a speaker.