RACE TO REPLACE HOUSE SPEAKER BEGINS
After Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s removal as House speaker on Tuesday, several candidates’ names have been floated as possible replacements for the Bakersfield Republican.
McCarthy said he would not pursue the speakership again, leaving the House in limbo ahead of candidate forums beginning Tuesday for the Republicans seeking the role.
The House also needs to reach an agreement by mid-November to fund the government or risk a shutdown. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., the speaker pro tempore, has limited authority in the role.
Here are several potential Republican candidates for speaker and the state of play in the race.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise
Scalise, 57, is the No. 2 Republican in the House. He was first sworn into Congress in 2008 after campaigning as a voice of the South and red-state Republicans more broadly. He went on to chair the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of the most conservative House members.
Scalise announced his bid for the job on Wednesday.
“Now, more than ever, we must mend the deep wounds that exist within our Conference,” Scalise wrote in a statement. “I have a proven track record of bringing together the diverse array of viewpoints within our Conference to build consensus where others thought it impossible.”
Scalise might struggle to gain the support of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus. While Scalise is more conservative than McCarthy, the group still sees him as part of the “establishment” and entrenched in GOP leadership.
Another challenge for Scalise is his announcement in August that he has blood cancer. The diagnosis means he would have to overcome questions about whether he is physically well enough to do such a taxing job.
Majority Whip Tom Emmer
Emmer, 62, joined Congress in 2015 and served as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the House, for two terms. He won a three-way race for majority whip in November, making him the No. 3 House Republican.
The House Freedom Caucus and other members with similar ideologies were crucial to Emmer’s win in that race. He is close with Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a previous chair of the Freedom Caucus, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, RFla.
Emmer’s name was floated last week by Republicans plotting to oust McCarthy. Those members believe Emmer would be more attuned to their concerns than McCarthy was and will get them more conservative outcomes.
Before McCarthy was thrown out, Emmer said he wasn’t interested in the job. Now that the post is vacant, Emmer’s only remarks on the matter have been that he believes Scalise would make a great speaker.
Rep. Jim Jordan
Jordan, 59, was elected to Congress in 2006 and has steadily risen in the ranks of the Republican conference.
In January, he became chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, and he has used that perch to fight those who are investigating former President Donald Trump.
A former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, Jordan was first nominated for the speakership in January by hard-right Republicans who opposed McCarthy. At the time, however, Jordan steadfastly maintained his support for McCarthy.
On Wednesday, after McCarthy was ousted, Jordan told reporters he was running for speaker.
Among those who support Jordan for the speakership is Gaetz, who spearheaded the push for McCarthy’s removal.
Rep. Kevin Hern
Hern, 61, is chair of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative group in the House. Amid McCarthy’s 15-ballot quest to become speaker in January, Hern was nominated for the speakership — to his surprise — by Rep. Lauren Boebert, RColo., who touted Hern as a “true consensus candidate” who could unite the Republican Party.
At the time, Hern appeared caught off guard and laughed at Boebert’s nomination. On Tuesday night, after McCarthy said he would not seek the speakership again, Hern sounded more open to the possibility.
“If I’m asked to run, then I’ll certainly look at it,” Hern told reporters.
Rep. Chip Roy
Roy, 51, took office in 2019 after working for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, among others. Known as a staunch conservative, he is a leading member of the Freedom Caucus. In January, he was one of just two House members opposing McCarthy’s election who do not deny the results of the 2020 presidential election.
More recently, Roy opposed his colleagues’ efforts to overthrow McCarthy. Asked Tuesday whether he would run for speaker, he neither ruled it out nor expressed enthusiasm at the prospect.
“I don’t — that’s not what this is about,” he told reporters after leaving the meeting in which McCarthy told his fellow Republicans he wouldn’t run for speaker again. “All I’m focused on right now is what we need to do to move the process forward.”
Rep. Patrick McHenry
McHenry, 47, was first elected to Congress in 2004 and is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
A close ally of McCarthy, McHenry was designated acting speaker after McCarthy’s removal and will serve in that role until the House elects a permanent replacement.
However, it is unclear whether McHenry is interested in becoming speaker permanently.