Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has told colleagues not to renominate him for the job after some of his allies indicated dozens of Republicans would support him either Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) or Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), The Post has learned.
McCarthy, who last week became the first House speaker in US history to be ousted by a floor vote, gave the order during a closed-door meeting with GOP members on Tuesday. Punchbowl News first reported.
The call came a day after McCarthy allies including Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.) and John Duarte (R-Calif.) told House Republicans in a separate meeting that they intend to try to reinstall McCarthy as speaker , according to Politico.
House GOP aides told The Post that allies of the former speaker are expected to press ahead with their efforts, though many have expressed doubt that McCarthy can clear the 217-vote threshold to win back the gavel.
“I doubt he got 60 to 80 votes,” said one aide, referring to Politico estimates McCarthy’s support.
“Many of McCarthy’s hard-liners are already committed to Jordan,” another source added.
Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), a one-time McCarthy ally, posted on Xearlier on Twitter, in response to the report: “I am not involved in any effort to get Rep. McCarthy on the ballot.”
Jordan currently has 47 House Republicans openly supporting his bid for speaker, according to the Washington Examiner’s endorsement tracker.
Only 31 GOP lawmakers back Scalise, trackers show, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).
Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on Tuesday.REUTERS
Another GOP aide said the eight members who voted McCarthy out are now “mainly behind Jordan,” implying Scalise will have more difficulty getting votes from hard-right members.
Both Scalise and Jordan appeared Tuesday afternoon at a candidate forum aimed at determining the direction of their caucuses for the rest of the congressional term.
Moderate Republicans and key committee leaders have kept their cards close to their chests on any eventual speaker vote, but some have expressed their support for penalties for members who oust McCarthy.
“When you can’t say clearly that there needs to be accountability for the eight who did this, I’m not interested in supporting you as a candidate,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) told the Wall Street Journal.
New York Republicans have previously expressed interest in impeaching Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) from conference for leading a motion to oust McCarthy — and stripped seven other GOP lawmakers who supported Gaetz of their committee assignments.
As he left the forum Tuesday, Scalise told reporters that it went “great” and that lawmakers were receptive to his speaker’s tone.
“We’ve built a great coalition among my colleagues from every slot at the conference,” Scalise said. “But obviously we’ve just had a great forum in full conference. But what people really like about my approach is that I have become a unifier. I’ve been someone who’s built a coalition throughout my career, and we’ve delivered big wins and people want to see us get back on track.”
Jim Jordan speaks to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday.Getty Images
“We need a Congress that will work tomorrow. We need to get Congress back to work,” he added, vowing to pass a resolution to “state our strong support for Israel” on his first day as speaker.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), one of the prominent GOP eight, wore a white T-shirt emblazoned with a red “A” as she entered the forum Tuesday night, a reference to the “Scarlet Letter.”
“I’m wearing that scarlet letter after the week I just had last week, being a woman here and being slandered because of my vote and my voice,” explained Mace.
The South Carolina Republican added that he would support Jordan for speaker.
“He answered every question honestly, and with energy, and that’s the bare minimum the American people want,” Mace said. “That’s what the American people need, and that’s what the American people deserve. I’m really excited about this vote tomorrow. And I hope we will get together for the next speaker very quickly.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise spoke to the media as he walked into a candidate forum at the Longworth House office building on Tuesday.REUTERS
When asked if he thought the GOP conference was united behind Jordan, Mace replied, “We’ll find out tomorrow.”
“We’ll have the conference draw tomorrow, and I hope win, lose or draw we’re all one behind so we can go on the field in the afternoon and get that draw,” he added.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said the forum was calm, despite the tensions between the parties.
“It’s a very low format, you know, and there’s not a lot, not a lot of emotion,” Crenshaw told reporters.
The Texas Republican added that he is still unsure whether he will support Jordan or Scalise for speaker.
“Honestly I’m still confused (about which candidate to support.) I don’t want to swing the vote for one or the other,” Crenshaw said.
Matt Gaetz speaks to reporters as he arrives for a meeting with lawmakers at the Longworth House Office Building on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.Getty Images
“It’s helpful to hear some specific answers to certain questions,” he added, declining to say what was being asked.
Likewise, Gaetz told reporters as the forum ended that he had not made up his mind about who to pick.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) revealed that both candidates said they would support continuing the impeachment inquiry against President Biden, but noted that she wanted to hear “stronger language” from the contenders.
Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) said Scalise and Jordan both gave “some opening statements, (and took) maybe 30 to 40 questions” during the forum.
“My question to both of them is how do you resonate with the middle third of America? I think the middle third is where the battle is now. We’re doing a good job of talking to our base and getting rid of the red meat out there, but how do we attract more people in the middle third, and it’s not necessarily Republican or Democrat,” Garcia said.
Some of McCarthy’s allies indicated more Republicans would support him over Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).AFP via Getty Images
“I think they’re both going to go back to their happy place, which is the ‘Rah rah Republican Party’ mindset,” he added. “You know, I don’t, I don’t think that’s the right solution right now (to keep the majority.)”
McCarthy previously said he was open to resuming the speakership if the conference was united in his support.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference Monday, he made a strong plea that the lack of House Republican leadership has hurt conservative priorities like border security and cutting federal spending — one of the reasons cited by hardliners to oust McCarthy.
The next Speaker of the House will also face the threat of another motion to oust disgruntled members, as Republicans only hold a four-seat majority.
“Are our conferences just going to pick someone to try to throw them out in another 35 days if eight people don’t get 100% of what they want?” McCarthy told reporters.
“[If] you allow eight people to continue to do so without consequence — no one will succeed.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
