HOUSE GOP FEUD OVER VOTE RULES
90 seek to raise threshold for picking speaker nominee
House Republicans, divided and demoralized after the ouster of their speaker this week, are now quietly feuding over how to elect a successor.
The dispute, which erupted Friday, suggests that the same divisions that led to the downfall of Speaker Kevin McCarthy are continuing to fester inside the GOP ranks, setting the stage for a potentially bruising contest next week when lawmakers are set to meet to elect his replacement.
At issue is a request made by more than 90 House Republicans on Friday to temporarily change the party’s internal rules for nominating a candidate for speaker. In a brief letter to Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, the interim speaker, and Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the conference chair, the group requested a “special organizational meeting” to consider the change. The New York Times obtained a copy of the letter.
In the letter, they asked for an amendment to temporarily raise the threshold to become the nominee. Proponents of the change have been pushing to require a unanimous vote of the Republican conference, instead of the current bar of a majority.
They have presented the idea as a way to foster unity after the deeply divisive ouster of McCarthy at the hands of eight mostly rightwing rebels who went against the rest of their Republican
week.
It would, in theory, avoid a replay of the public chaos that unfolded in January, when the nation watched as the House slogged through 15 rounds of roll call votes until Republicans finally coalesced around McCarthy, a veteran lawmaker from California.
But supporters of Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the majority leader who is running for speaker, quickly cried foul, arguing that the change would only make it more difficult for him to be elected.
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The idea that the fractured GOP conference could unanimously come together behind either Scalise or the other declared candidate, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, is also virtually unthinkable.
But Scalise’s allies believe that he would win a majority over Jordan, putting him in a strong position to beat the Ohio Republican on the House floor under the current rules.
“Changing the rules is going to create chaos and only advantages candidates who can’t get to 51 percent in the closed-door vote,” said Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas, who
has said he is backing Scalise.
Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri, who is also backing Scalise, said that “a lastminute, rushed rule change is really not what the conference needs right now.”
“We need unity and we need leadership,” she said. “We should all be prepared to support the nominee who the majority chooses.”
She added that there was “nothing binding” about a conference meeting vote. “The only vote that is binding is done in full transparency on the floor of the House of Representatives,”
she said.
On Monday night, House Republicans will meet behind closed doors for a “member-only discussion,” according to a schedule distributed by Stefanik on Friday. Phones are to be checked at the door, and staff aren’t allowed into the meeting, the invitation says.
That will be followed Tuesday night by a “candidate forum,” with House Republicans holding their internal election for speaker Wednesday morning, according to the schedule.
The private discussions are being held after GOP conference members pushed back against the idea of a televised “joint interview” with the chief speaker candidates, sources familiar with the planned event said Friday.
Fox News announced Friday morning that Scalise, Jordan and Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., would appear in a televised event at 6 p.m. Monday. Scalise and Jordan are officially running for speaker, while Hern is considering a bid but has not announced his candidacy.
However, all three backed out of the event, which Fox News political anchor Bret Baier was set to host, just hours after it was announced.
Under the current Republican conference rules, whoever emerges from the secret ballot with a simple majority of votes wins. Changing the rules could lead to a much more drawnout process wherein both candidates would have to battle to get the entire conference behind them.
Scalise’s allies regard the effort as a bid by those who are boosting Jordan’s candidacy to tilt the scales in his favor. One of the people leading the charge for the change was Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who has endorsed Jordan.
McCarthy’s allies have also been pressing members to sign on, arguing that the rule change would help keep any infighting behind closed doors.
The former speaker has long had a rocky and competitive relationship with Scalise. And the sense among Scalise’s backers is that they have a vested interest in helping to elect Jordan as speaker.