GOP rep. says ongoing House Speaker fiasco is ‘most embarrassing thing he’s ever seen’ and warns world is too dangerous for Republicans to dither
WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) – The top job in the U.S. House of Representatives remained vacant on Sunday after hardline Republican Jim Jordan failed in his third bid for the gavel and dropped out of the race.
Here are the seven lawmakers who have announced they are running to become speaker of the House, which has been without a leader since Oct. 3, as well as two potential candidates:
IN: KEVIN HERN
Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus in Congress, began his run for speaker minutes after Jordan said he had withdrawn from the race, although the Oklahoma lawmaker did not win any votes Friday . .
IN: AUSTIN SCOTT
Rep. Austin Scott, a Georgia lawmaker who has kept a relatively low profile in his 12 years in Congress, also launched his candidacy on Friday after challenging Jordan for the nomination last week and failing. He received no votes on Friday.
IN: PETE SESSIONS
Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas congressman since 1997 and chairman of the House Rules Committee, declared his candidacy Friday, saying he has the experience to unify the party.
IN: JACK BERGMAN
Rep. Jack Bergman of Michigan, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general who has served in Congress since 2017, said Friday that his hat is in the ring.
IN: TOM EMMER
Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 Republican and the House of Representatives’ leading vote counter, received just one vote Friday but won the support of Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The former hockey coach said in a social media post on Saturday that he was running “to bring our conference together and get back to business.”
IN: BYRON DONALDS
Rep. Byron Donalds, a black Florida Republican and member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, was the pick of two from his party on Friday. He announced his candidacy in a statement late Friday. Last month, a source close to Donalds told Fox News that he was considering running for governor of Florida in 2026.
IN: MIKE JOHNSON
Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, a socially and fiscally conservative constitutional law attorney who has been a member since 2017, said in a letter to colleagues on Saturday that he was running as a consensus candidate and billed himself as a “team player and a bridge.” builder’.
IN: HAKEEM JEFFRIES
Democrats voted unanimously for their leader, Hakeem Jeffries, but as the minority party in a chamber controlled 221-212 by Republicans, they do not have enough votes to elect him chairman.
POSSIBLE: TOM COLE
Tom Cole, the chairman of the powerful Rules Committee, who has represented Oklahoma since 2003 as one of only five Native Americans in Congress, could win support from Democrats if nominated, though he has repeatedly rejected talks about bringing forward suppressed his name. After receiving one vote on Tuesday, no votes were cast for him on Friday.
POSSIBLE: JODEY ARRINGTON
Rep. Jodey Arrington, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Budget Committee, told reporters Friday that he would make a decision on whether to seek the speaker’s job by Sunday, ahead of the deadline for statements at noon EST ( 4:00 PM GMT).
OUT: STEVE SCALISE
The Louisiana lawmaker and No. 2 House Republican, who was widely seen as McCarthy’s heir apparent, received eight votes on Friday, the most of any other than Jordan, after being nominated as speaker last week and withdrawing after he had failed to unite the Republicans. Scalise was injured during a baseball practice in 2017 and had been treated for multiple myeloma since August. He faced questions about his health.
FROM: JIM JORDAN
Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a driving force in the impeachment inquiry into Democratic President Joe Biden, lost his third bid for the job after winning just 194 votes, well short of the 214 he needed , when 25 Republicans voted against him. After the vote, the Ohio lawmaker and Trump ally said the party should rally behind a new candidate and that he would support the one chosen.
FROM: KEVIN MCCARTHY
Representative and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy has given conflicting signals about whether he would seek the job again. The California lawmaker received two votes in Friday’s vote.
OUT: PATRICK MCHENRY
Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry, acting speaker since Kevin McCarthy was ousted on Oct. 3, received six votes for speaker in Friday’s election but has not entered the race, although some Republicans have suggested the North Carolina lawmaker could remain and even some Democrats seemed open to him holding the gavel. When asked Friday if he was interested in the job, he said, “I’m not looking for it.” (Editing by Katharine Jackson, David Morgan, Andy Sullivan, Makini Brice, Moira Warburton and David Ljunggren; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell, David Gregorio and Jonathan Oatis)