House remains paralyzed with no end in sight for speakership battle after Jordan's exit

There is still no end in sight for the high-stakes speakership battle after House Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy more than two weeks ago.

The search is on for a new GOP speaker nominee after Rep. Jim Jordan on Friday became the latest exit from the race, and it's already shaping up to be a crowded candidate field.

Frustrations and divisions have only intensified within the conference as Republicans search for a way to resolve the impasse. That, along with the GOP's narrow majority, has made it increasingly unclear whether any candidate will be able to secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel on the House floor.

The House, meanwhile, remains in a state of paralysis as Republicans struggle to coalesce around a speaker candidate, with the chamber effectively frozen amid the threat of a government shutdown next month and conflict unfolding abroad.

House Republicans are expected to hold a candidate forum Monday evening and more candidates are likely to throw their names into the running before then.

The showdown over the speakership kicked off earlier this month when a bloc of hardline conservatives voted to remove McCarthy, a historic move that plunged the House into unprecedented territory. Then, in the aftermath of McCarthy's ouster, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise's speakership nomination met a swift downfall when the conference failed to come together on his bid.

On Friday, Republicans pushed Jordan out of the race after he failed to win the gavel for the third time in a floor vote earlier in the day. The Ohio Republican fared worse in the vote than he had in previous failed rounds.