Maxine Waters Gets Huge Dose Of Her Own Medicine After Making Snide Remark About Speaker Candidate Jim Jordan O...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — June 15, 2026
California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters was loudly shouted down by Republican members on the House floor Tuesday after she referred to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan as an “insurrectionist” during debate over the Speaker election. Waters made the remark while speaking in support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, prompting immediate and vocal objections from Republicans across the chamber.
One Republican member was heard responding to Waters by saying, “Huh? What did the Communist say?” The outburst briefly disrupted proceedings as members reacted to her characterization of Jordan. Jordan, who was seated nearby, reportedly responded with a smirk but did not directly engage.
The incident occurred as the House convened to elect a new Speaker following the removal of Kevin McCarthy. Jim Jordan, the leading Republican candidate, fell 17 votes short of the 217 needed to win on the first ballot. All Democrats voted for Jeffries, while several Republicans cast votes for other candidates, preventing Jordan from securing the gavel on the opening round.
Jordan addressed reporters after the vote, stating that he had held productive conversations with colleagues and expressed confidence that Republicans would not pursue a coalition government with Democrats. He indicated that the conference would continue working to consolidate support ahead of the next ballot, scheduled for Wednesday morning.
The failure to elect a Speaker on the first ballot drew sharp criticism from some conservative voices, including an editorial from The Wall Street Journal that described the situation as dysfunctional and urged Republicans to unify quickly. The editorial argued that the House has serious work to do and cannot afford prolonged internal division.
Jordan has indicated that, if elected Speaker, one of his immediate priorities would be ensuring strong support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas. He stated that he would work with the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate leadership to advance a resolution backing the Jewish state.
The Speaker vote has exposed fractures within the Republican conference, with some members expressing reservations about Jordan’s candidacy. However, several Republicans, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, have stated they will continue supporting Jordan and believe momentum can build in subsequent rounds.
The House is scheduled to reconvene at 11 a.m. Wednesday for another ballot. With no clear resolution in sight and both parties deeply divided, the chamber faces continued uncertainty over who will lead it in the coming weeks.
Nearly 150,000 California Mail Ballots Rejected In Primary
California election officials are examining why nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during the state’s June primary, with late-arriving ballots accounting for most of the increase.
The higher rejection rate comes despite years of election law changes designed to make voting more accessible and ensure more ballots are ultimately counted.
According to data compiled by the California Secretary of State’s office, 148,241 mail-in ballots were rejected during the June primary, representing 1.73% of all mail ballots returned.
That marks an increase from the 2024 primary, when 108,982 ballots were rejected, or 1.56% of all mail ballots cast.
The largest reason for rejection was ballots arriving too late to qualify under California law.
State data shows that 93,479 ballots were rejected because they failed to meet the state’s deadline requirements.
California allows mail ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on or before Election Day.
Voting experts believe many of the rejected ballots received postmarks dated after Election Day, making them ineligible to be counted even if they arrived within the seven-day grace period.
Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said the timing of postal processing appears to be a significant concern.
“Ballots rejected due to lateness are caused primarily to being postmarked too late to count, not because they arrived too late to count,” Alexander said.
Election experts have questioned whether recent operational changes within the U.S. Postal Service may be contributing to delayed postmarks.
Earlier this year, a group of mostly Democratic U.S. senators wrote to the Postal Service expressing concern that mail-processing changes could affect ballot handling during federal elections.
Updated Postal Service procedures mean postmarks may reflect when mail is processed at regional facilities rather than when it first enters the mail system.
Because processing centers have been consolidated in some areas, election officials have warned that postmark timing could be affected.
Before the June primary, California election officials encouraged voters to mail ballots as early as possible because of potential postal delays.
The June election also featured a highly competitive race for governor, which some experts believe encouraged many voters to wait until the final days before casting ballots.
In addition to late-arriving ballots, approximately 44,000 ballots were rejected because election officials determined the voter’s signature did not match the signature on file.
Another 8,300 ballots were rejected because the return envelope did not contain a signature.
State records also show that 743 ballots were rejected because those voters had already cast another ballot.
Other rejected ballots involved missing ballots inside return envelopes or multiple ballots submitted in a single envelope.
The highest rejection rate in the state occurred in Tulare County, where 3.52% of returned mail ballots were rejected.
Alpine County and Merced County followed closely, each recording rejection rates of 3.36%.
California has frequently faced criticism for taking weeks to complete vote counting after major elections, largely because state law permits ballots meeting certain requirements to continue arriving after Election Day.
Following the June primary, President Donald Trump again criticized California’s election system, while the Department of Justice opened an investigation into election administration in Los Angeles County.
Election experts emphasize that the increase in rejected ballots should not be interpreted as evidence of widespread voter fraud.
A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found documented cases of mail ballot fraud remained extremely rare, estimating roughly four cases for every 10 million mail ballots cast, The Associated Press reported.
State officials have not identified evidence of widespread fraud connected to the June primary, but the increase in rejected ballots is expected to receive additional scrutiny as election administrators evaluate whether changes in postal operations, voter behavior or election procedures contributed to the higher rejection rate.
