The Republican conference is planning to meet Monday evening to hear from this new crop of nine candidates seeking to become House speaker.
After Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) failed to become speaker of the House three times last week, nine Republicans have announced their intention to seek their conference’s nomination.
The Republican conference is expected to meet Monday evening to hear from this new crop of candidates seeking the gavel. The group is expected to vote as early as Tuesday on its next speaker-designate.
All Republicans interested in running for speaker had to announce their candidacy by noon Sunday to the office of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who chairs the House Republican Conference. Stefanik’s office will run the internal meetings in which the GOP lawmakers are expected to choose their next nominee. Democrats, meanwhile, are widely expected to continue nominating and voting for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
All this is happening as Congress inches closer to a key deadline: The government will run out of funds in mid-November and shut down if the House and Senate do not pass a number of appropriations bills. Republicans have virtually frozen activity on the House floor for almost three weeks over their inability to choose a new leader.
These are the Republicans who have announced their candidacy for speaker:
Rep. Tom Emmer (Minn.)
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House majority whip, was among the first to make clear his intention to run for speaker. Emmer has been in Congress since 2015 and has served as whip since the beginning of this Congress. Before that, he chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee — Republicans’ House campaign arm — for four years.
Emmer, 62, has already received the support of former speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Speaking to “Meet the Press” on Sunday, McCarthy said Emmer is “head and shoulders above all those others who want to run.”
“We need to get him elected this week and move on,” McCarthy said.
And, as The previously reported, some members of the group who plotted to oust McCarthy have also floated the idea of nominating Emmer for the job.
In a statement shared Saturday, Emmer — who supported both Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Steve Scalise (R-La.) in their failed efforts to become speaker — announced his intention to seek the gavel and highlighted his work as NRCC chairman and the connections he’s formed with Republican members as majority whip.
“If given the opportunity to be your Speaker, we will use that same culture of teamwork, communication, and respect to build on the movements that brought us success, learn from our mistakes, and keep fighting for each and every one of you and our Republican majority,” he said.
Notably, right-wing outlets and allies of former president Donald Trump are urging Republicans not to elect Emmer, who voted to certify the results of the 2020 election for Joe Biden.
Rep. Kevin Hern (Okla.)
Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), who chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, told reporters on Friday that he’s in the speaker’s race.
In a tweet shared later that day, Hern — who supported Jordan’s bid as speaker — said the GOP conference needs “a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I’m running for Speaker of the House.
