House GOP Looks to Go From 8 Hopefuls to 1

Vote on speaker candidates set for 9am ET
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 24, 2023 6:36 AM CDT
House GOP Looks to Go From 8 Hopefuls to 1
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., center, is flanked by Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-NC, left, and Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, right, as lawmakers convene to hold a third ballot to elect a speaker of the House, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The three-week-old GOP leadership crisis could be resolved Tuesday, though some Republicans remain doubtful. House Republicans will gather at 9am ET to vote again for speaker after denying Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan. They'll choose between the eight candidates that remained on Monday night after Rep. Dan Meuser announced he would drop out of the race. Colleagues had predicted he would receive one of the lowest vote totals on Tuesday, per Politico. In each of multiple rounds of secret voting, the candidate with the lowest vote total will be eliminated until two candidates are left or a single candidate wins a conference majority with 113 votes, per CNN. A vote on the House floor would follow.

Those in the running: Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson, House Republican Policy Committee Chair Gary Palmer, and Reps. Pete Sessions, Jack Bergman, Kevin Hern, Austin Scott, and Byron Donalds. They were quizzed on various issues during a 2.5-hour closed-door meeting Monday. GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene asked who had "the balls" to hold Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland to account, per Politico. Rep. Matt Gaetz said each candidate vowed to "support the prompt full release of the January 6 tapes to the public," per CNN. Candidates were also asked about their take on new aid for Ukraine.

Many Republicans noted their constituents were angry after weeks of disagreement. Rep. Dusty Johnson said his constituents "just can't believe that we're this bad." Rep. Vern Buchanan said his constituents "think all of us are incapable." Some suggested this would encourage lawmakers to deliver an act of unity. "I think that we can get it done," said Sessions. "I think that the body spoke enough about the desire that we not leave here tomorrow until we have that answer." Yet some Republicans said they wouldn't necessarily support the conference nominee, per CNN. GOP Rep. Vern Buchanan noted that if the speaker-designee can't get to 217 votes, Republicans would be forced to work with Democrats "to get the government open." (More speaker of the House stories.)

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