New Speaker Mike Johnson projects unity after 3 weeks of chaos, expects 'aggressive' House schedule

Emerging from the floor after Jordan's failed first vote, some Republicans expressed open frustration while others remained optimistic.

"We gotta wake up and stop this nonsense. There's real serious work to be done," Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser said.

Meuser had "direct" and "strong" conversations with GOP colleagues after the vote to try to swing them, he said. "We've got to understand -- we've got to operate as a team, because if we don't, we will lose everything."

But he has to contend with members such as Colorado's Ken Buck, who is staunchly anti-Jordan because of concerns he won't support Ukraine funding and because of his role in protesting the 2020 election results.

"I am not going to vote for Jim, I just think there's too much there at this point," Buck told ABC News. Buck said he feels so strongly "because I just don't think that we can win the presidential election if we have candidates and leaders in our party who won't admit that Donald Trump lost, who won't admit that the Republican Party wants to move forward."

Of course, Republicans such as Meuser and others argued that not voting in a speaker will also threaten GOP victories in the next election.

"I think it absolutely casts a bad cloud over the institution and Republicans," New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told ABC News.

Still others, however, were more optimistic -- comparing this process to McCarthy's and using it to argue that Jordan is on track for success.

"Do you believe that at the end of the day, it's going to be Speaker Jordan?" ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott asked Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett.

"I do," he replied.

-ABC's Cheyenne Haslett

Jordan met with Scalise behind closed doors on Tuesday and asked for help to get the needed votes, a source told ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott. The source says Scalise wouldn't commit to helping Jordan.

Scalise was the conference's first choice for speaker in an internal contest last week, as he defeated Jordan 113-99. But he dropped out days later, amid opposition from holdouts who were backing Jordan.

Of the 20 Republicans who voted against Jordan in the first round, seven voted for Scalise.

Scalise cast his vote for Jordan.

ABC News asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries if he sees Republicans forging a way out of the speakership impasse today.

"It's not a complicated situation," Jeffries responded. "We just need traditional Republicans to break from the extremists and join us in finding a bipartisan path forward. We've said it over and over and over again. We are ready, willing and able to get together and reopen the House."

ABC News caught Jordan moments after he left the House chamber. He made it clear that he's staying in the race for speaker, insisting there will be another vote tonight.

"We thought we were doing well ... that we were in that area or a little more maybe, but we feel confident. We already talked to some members who are going to vote with us on the second ballot," Jordan said as he rushed into an office.

-ABC's Rachel Scott, Lauren Peller, Arthur Jones and John Parkinson