Here are the Republicans running for House speaker: What to know

Table Of Content

• Rep. Dan Meuser drops out of speaker race, leaving 8 others still in the running
• House GOP ends the day in state of uncertainty as 8 candidates vie for the gavel. Here's what happens next
• Multi-ballot elections
• Donald Trump?
• Mike Johnson
• takeaways from the historic ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

In the 2006 midterm elections, the Democratic Party regained control of the House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House, becoming the first woman to hold the position. One of the most influential speakers in history was Democrat Sam Rayburn.[48] Rayburn had the most cumulative time as speaker in history, holding office from 1940 to 1947, 1949 to 1953, and 1955 to 1961. He helped shape many bills, working quietly in the background with House committees.

Rep. Dan Meuser drops out of speaker race, leaving 8 others still in the running

A flood of lawmakers began campaigning just hours after Republicans voted in a closed-door meeting to restart the nomination process after Mr. Jordan, his support ebbing, failed on a third floor vote to win the speakership. The vote essentially ensured that the office of the speaker would remain empty for a third week. Republican lawmakers are expected to attend a candidate forum on Tuesday evening and then pick their nominee on Wednesday morning, potentially teeing up a House vote before the end of the week.

Eight Republicans are vying to become the next House speaker. These are the candidates - CNBC

Eight Republicans are vying to become the next House speaker. These are the candidates.

Posted: Mon, 23 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

House GOP ends the day in state of uncertainty as 8 candidates vie for the gavel. Here's what happens next

Moreover, in 1975, the speaker was granted the authority to appoint a majority of the members of the Rules Committee. Meanwhile, the power of committee chairmen was curtailed, further increasing the relative influence of the speaker. The speakership reached its apogee during the term of Republican Joseph Gurney Cannon (1903–1911). He determined the agenda of the House, appointed the members of all committees, chose committee chairmen, headed the Rules Committee, and determined which committee heard each bill. He vigorously used his powers to ensure that Republican proposals were passed by the House.

Multi-ballot elections

GOP Rep. Chip Roy, who has also endorsed Donalds, said he wouldn’t necessarily support the conference nominee. GOP Rep. Mario Diaz Balart, who has endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds, said he could support any of the eight candidates. A number of the New York freshmen Republicans who were part of the opposition against Jordan told CNN they were not ready to endorse a candidate or announce who they are endorsing.

Process and conventions

And Rep. Vern Buchanan warned that if the eventual nominee can’t get to 217 votes on the floor, the conference may find itself in the undesirable position of having to work with Democrats. After roughly two and a half hours, the GOP House speaker candidate forum has wrapped. “I feel like there are a lot of members in our conference that have what it would take to be the speaker of the House. I do not in any way, shape, form or fashion think I'm the only person in the Republican conference that has what it takes to be the speaker of the House.

The House elects its speaker at the beginning of a new Congress (i.e. biennially, after a general election) or when a speaker dies, resigns, or removed from the position intra-term. Since 1839, the House elected speakers by roll call.[1] Traditionally, each party's caucus or conference selects a candidate for the speakership from among its senior leaders prior to the roll call. From early in its existence, the speaker's primary function had been to keep order and enforce rules. Furthermore, when no candidate received an Electoral College majority in the 1824 presidential election, causing the president to be elected by the House, Speaker Clay threw his support to John Quincy Adams instead of Andrew Jackson, thereby ensuring Adams' victory.

Mike Johnson

During Jordan's failed speaker elections, some GOP holdouts voted for Donalds as a protest candidate. But their argument was stymied by several issues, ranging from the political to the personal. Some members were put off by Jordan’s failure to quickly and vigorously condemn threats against lawmakers who had voted against him.

Some members expressed optimism there could be a new House speaker by tomorrow night, while others said they fear no candidate can get the 217 floor votes needed to win the gavel. House Republicans ended Monday in a state of uncertainty, as some members expressed optimism there could be a new House speaker by tomorrow night, while others said they fear no candidate can get the 217 floor votes needed to win the gavel. The Republicans came out of the 2000 elections with a further reduced majority but made small gains in 2002 and 2004. The roles of the parties reversed in 1994 when, after spending forty years in the minority, the Republicans regained control of the House with the "Contract with America", an idea spearheaded by Minority Whip Newt Gingrich. Speaker Gingrich would regularly clash with Democratic President Bill Clinton, leading to the United States federal government shutdown of 1995 and 1996, in which Clinton was largely seen to have prevailed. Gingrich's hold on the leadership was weakened significantly by that and several other controversies, and he faced a caucus revolt in 1997.

Following Tuesday's historic vote to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republicans are scrambling to figure out who can get the votes to replace him. So far, there are two declared candidates, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan. Bacon also addressed the threatening calls that he and his family have received. Several Republicans who opposed Rep. Jim Jordan’s speakership bid said they are experiencing angry calls, menacing messages and even death threats since casting their votes.

The resolution — which was drafted by Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio) and backed in large part by the group he chairs, the Republican Governance Group — would have required a significant number of Democratic votes to pass, which they had signaled they could provide. With as many as 10 Republicans possibly declaring candidacies by Sunday, some Republicans worry that the crowded field could lead into several rounds of voting behind closed doors before a majority of them can get behind a candidate. But Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who also voted to remove McCarthy as speaker, said he’s willing to search for a new option. “The most popular Republican in the United States Congress was just knifed by a secret ballot, in a private meeting in the basement of the Capitol. And Jim Jordan deserves better than that,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who mobilized McCarthy’s ouster earlier this month.

Some prominent New York Republicans, who are among the most vulnerable in the House and represent a key voting bloc, have already endorsed McCarthy if he were to run again. After his news conference, Republican Rep. Nick LaLota of New York said on X that the former Speaker “is acting with class and confidence and in the best interests of America.” Rep. Mike Lawler, another New York Republican, said he believes McCarthy should be reinstated. “A lot of people believe Kevin McCarthy is the right person to lead us,” he told reporters. Donalds has played a large role in key negotiations between moderate and ultraconservative GOP lawmakers.