House Republicans met behind closed doors Monday night as nine of their lawmakers explained at the GOP conference why they should be the next speakers.
The nearly three-hour meeting ended with one lawmaker, Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), dropping out of the race, but no clear favorite emerging.
“We had other great candidates. It’s just about making the president’s office as effective as possible,” Meuser said afterward.
“I said, ‘We have to start over and now we have to respect each other,’” he said of his speech at the conference, adding of his proposal: “We’re late. “
The conference’s latest candidate forum comes 20 days after the impeachment of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and following House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s doomed presidential nominations ( R-La.) and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Both Scalise and Jordan dropped out of the presidential race earlier this month after failing to garner enough Republican support to replace McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Entering Monday’s caucus, Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry (R-NC) sounded optimistic about electing someone to the top spot before Halloween, telling reporters he believes someone will get the 217 votes needed for the election. end of the week.
House Republicans met behind closed doors Monday night as nine of their lawmakers explained at the GOP conference why they should be the next speakers. Getty Images representative Dan Meuser dropped out of the race after a three-hour meeting. AP
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who was among dozens of Republicans who declined to endorse Jordan’s bid for president, indicated he was confident a new president would be elected Tuesday night.
“I’m feeling optimistic and tomorrow night we’ll have a speaker,” Bacon said.
When asked about his votes against Jordan, the Nebraska Republican added: “I felt like there had to be accountability. That’s why I got up and did what I did. We had a minority of the majority that ousted McCarthy.”
Several Republican lawmakers expressed that time is of the essence, as a continuing resolution currently keeping the government open is set to expire on Nov. 17, Russia’s war against Ukraine is in full swing and Israel is prepared for a ground offensive against Hamas terrorists. in Gaza.
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) speaks to reporters on his way to a House Republican candidate forum to present his bid to be the next Republican nominee for House Speaker.REUTERS
“I think people in America, people in Nebraska that I saw yesterday, are anxious, concerned,” Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) told reporters about the House debacle. “I spoke to an elderly lady and I can tell she was concerned about this. She wants this to be resolved.
“We’re bigger than this,” he said. “We are bigger than these grievances that have been going on for a long time.
“I have been here for 16 months. I don’t want to sit in a room and talk about my feelings. I want to elect a Speaker of the House and I believe I speak for everyone in America. It’s time to keep going forward”.
Rep. Austin Scott (R-TX) speaks to reporters after a House Republican caucus meeting. AFP via Getty Images Gary Palmer of Alabama and others signed the unity pledge to support the eventual presidential candidate. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Flood revealed that the nine candidates who will attend the meeting: Reps. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Byron Donalds of Florida, Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Gary Palmer of Alabama, Austin Scott of Georgia, Pete sessions. of Texas and Meuser – had signed the unity pledge to support the eventual presidential candidate.
Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) had previously told reporters, without revealing who he planned to support: “I want to hear from a candidate who understands the value of governing and that a shutdown would be devastating to the American economy and the American people.
“These are people who three weeks ago, some of whom we probably would have never mentioned, are running for speaker,” Molinaro said of the speaker hopefuls. “So it is an opportunity for them to lay out not only their vision for the Congress and the conference, but also how they intend to get to 217.”
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Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), one of eight House Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to oust McCarthy, said he wants the “most conservative” candidate to get the gavel. but, like Molinaro and others, I do not say who he supported.
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) said Donalds, the only member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus on the speaker list, would be a good choice.
“He’s smart, attractive, young, he’s been in the House of Representatives for two or three terms. He served with my son; “My son would come home and tell me about this incredible young man,” Buchanan told reporters.
Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), another member of the Sunshine State’s congressional delegation, also closed ranks and announced her support for Donalds.
“Since his election to Congress, Byron has been a true conservative champion for the Sunshine State and the nation,” Cammack tweeted. “He is a fighter who listens to the American people. He has what it takes to get us back to work and continuing the business we were sent here to do.”
“While I have the utmost respect for all of my colleagues who have submitted their names, it is an honor to support my friend in his candidacy for Speaker of the House of Representatives,” he added.
House Majority Leader Tom Emmer (R-MN) speaks to reporters as he leaves a House Republican candidate forum on Capitol Hill on October 23, 2023. Rep. Getty Images, Byron Donalds, R-Fla., speaks to reporters after Republicans met to try to decide who to nominate to be the new House speaker.AP
Donalds revealed before the meeting that he spoke with former President Donald Trump about his candidacy. Trump had previously endorsed Jordan for president.
“I spoke with the president. I think the president will watch us through our process,” Donalds said. “I think he’ll be happy with who the next House speaker will be.”
Trump, 77, who has been floated as a possible presidential candidate, said Monday that “Jesus Christ” is the only person who would not face Republican opposition in the House.
“There’s only one person who can make it all the way,” Trump said in New Hampshire. “Do you know who he is? Jesus Christ. If Jesus came down and said ‘I want to be Speaker’, he would do it. Other than that, I haven’t seen anyone who can guarantee it.”
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) shed light on what he looks for in a speaker, but like most lawmakers on Monday, he declined to name his preferred candidate.
“We’re looking back at people’s past votes and how they did or didn’t support New York,” D’Esposito said.
“The difference is minimal,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said of the eight candidates. “The best thing we got, though, is we got a very deep bench.”
Hern was found to have the “most limited government voting record on taxes and fiscal policy” among presidential candidates, according to data from the Institute for Legislative Analysis, a conservative nonprofit group, which gave the Oklahoma Republican a “100%”. classification.
Meanwhile, the group found that Bergman had the least limited government record, voting in favor of “restricting government growth only 51.61% of the time.”
By comparison, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has a 6.67% rating from the conservative caucus.
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) argued that the choice Republicans face is about leadership, not ideology.
Rep. Kevin Hern also signed the unity pledge to support the eventual presidential candidate.
“There’s not a lot of ideological light between any of those candidates,” Fallon told reporters. “It’s just a question of who you think will be best to be the captain.”
Fallon, along with Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Texas), signaled they would endorse Johnson for speaker.
Speaker hopefuls rushed to declare their candidacy within hours of a failed attempt by Jordan to win the gavel in three consecutive votes last week.
The Republican Party faces increasing pressure from the Senate, the White House (and the American public) to resolve the crisis.
McCarthy was rejected by eight members of the Republican Party for approving a continuing resolution to fund the government on a bipartisan basis to avoid a federal shutdown.
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) arrives at a Republican House candidates forum. Getty Images/Alex Wong
The fight has left many rank-and-file members of the Republican Party disappointed in their elected leaders and eagerly searching for an alternative.
“There is growing frustration with the leadership of each wing,” a source familiar with the situation told the Post, adding that most House Republicans have grown tired of “the dysfunction.”
“Everyone stabs each other in the back; “They all hate each other,” the source said.
Each of the speaker candidates was assigned a two-minute opening speech at Monday’s forum and a one-minute closing speech, sources told The Post.
All potential nominees also had to answer questions from Republican caucus members for 90 minutes during most of the session.
On Tuesday, the Republican conference will reconvene to put candidates through a lightning round of voting at 9 a.m.
“Remember, it’s ‘sudden death,'” a source said. “The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated in each round until someone gets 50 +1.”
Rep. Matt Gaez (R-Fla.), who sparked chaos at the conference with his motion to impeach McCarthy, said there was at least one “moment of unification” during the forum.
“I was especially encouraged that each of the candidates said they supported the prompt release of the January 6 tapes in full to the public. So that was a unifying moment,” Gaetz said.
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