Republicans fell short yet again in their effort to agree on a next speaker of the House as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) didn't have the votes on his first ballot before the full House of Representatives.

Twenty Republican lawmakers voted against their colleague for the gavel, higher than many Jordan allies had expected, dooming his bid at least on Tuesday afternoon's first ballot.

Jordan is set to push for more votes, telling reporters on the way into the chamber "whatever it takes to get a speaker today." But he could face a difficult challenge in the hours and days ahead in changing the minds of his opponents while also holding his own fragile coalition together.

In his own quest for job earlier this year, Kevin McCarthy saw 19 Republicans vote against him on the first ballot before he eventually prevailed following 15 grueling rounds of voting.

The latest round of GOP dysfunction is sure to renew the focus on various long-shot options that have been circulating for days as ways to eventually restart the paralyzed lower chamber and address pressing issues such as aid for Israel and a government shutdown deadline in just one month's time.

In a floor speech just before voting commenced, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) alluded to one of the options. He said if Republicans can’t come together "there is still a path forward" for the parties to band together for a bipartisan vote on at least some issues like keeping the government open.

"It’s that simple, Mr. Speaker," he added, "We can do it today.”

A second idea in the mix would be to expand the limited powers that the current overseer of the House enjoys.

Here is a closer look at two options that could be on the table in the days ahead if the GOP dysfunction continues:

Option one: A bipartisan speaker

One option increasingly being bandied about is a consensus speaker that could be elected with both Republican and Democratic votes.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has repeatedly called for this option and reiterated the possibility over the weekend, telling NBC Sunday that "informal" conversations are underway.

"We are ready, willing, and able to enter into a bipartisan governing coalition," Jeffries said, adding a hope that the talks will get more concrete this week while also saying the Democrat price for such a compromise would be less Republican control over what reaches the floor for a vote.

The effort faces opposition from conservative Republicans and there is not a clear consensus candidate, but Democrats hope talks could heat up in the days ahead.

For his part, Jordan has tried to head off the bipartisan idea all week. He said in a post on X Sunday that "differences between Republicans and Democrats in the House far outweigh our differences in the Republican Conference."

After Tuesday’s failed vote, Jordan began meeting directly with the holdouts apparently both to try and change their minds but also stop any interest in a bipartisan solution.

Option two: Expanded powers for the current speaker pro tempore

Another possibility would be the for current overseer of the House, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R. N.C.), to assume expanded powers and then use them to address issues like a government shutdown or aid to Israel.

According to the rules, McHenry currently only has the power to convene a vote for the next speaker but some lawmakers say he could quickly be given the authority to convene votes on legislation.

"We strongly support an immediate vote to expand the speaker pro tempore's authorities to allow for the consideration of a legislative agenda limited to the most pressing issues," wrote four moderate Democratic lawmakers in a recent letter even as McHenry himself has often repeatedly batted away the suggestion.

Indeed, empowering McHenry appears to be more popular with Democrats than with Republicans at the moment. Some on the far right — notably Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) — have been criticizing McHenry for even how he’s exercised his limited powers. But the maneuver could see increasing moderate support if the stalemate continues.

"My opinion is that the longer this drags on, the more authority the speaker pro tempore will be authorized," says Henrietta Treyz, Veda Partners managing partner and director of economic policy research, in a recent interview.

It's "maybe the path of least resistance at this point," she added.

Ben Werschkul is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

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