House speaker election: Jim Jordan comes up short in first round of voting

Rep. Jim Jordan hit resistance on Tuesday in his effort to become the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, as the Ohio congressman failed to score the support of enough fellow Republicans in an initial round of voting.

The tally was 200 votes for Jordan, while 232 lawmakers voted for other candidates. The House has 221 Republicans and 212 Democrats, with two vacancies. One GOP lawmaker was absent for the first ballot — Jordan supporter and Florida Congressman Gus Bilarakis, who was attending a funeral.

An…