There Are Now NINE Official Candidates for House Speaker
The next step in the process is a candidate forum that will take place Monday evening.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
After Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) shocking failure to secure the House Speakership last week, there are now nine more Republican candidates for the role, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik announced Sunday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The deadline to announce their candidacy was set for noon on Sunday, Stefanik said.
The candidates include Reps. Jack Bergman (MI), Byron Donalds (FL), Tom Emmer (MN), Kevin Hern (OK), Mike Johnson (LA), Dan Meuser (PA), Gary Palmer (AL), Austin Scott (GA), and Pete Sessions (TX).
Reps. Mark Green (R-TN), Jodey Arrington (R-TX), and Roger Williams (R-TX) had previously indicated that they would run but opted out or failed to meet this weekend’s deadline.
Today at noon was the deadline for announced candidates for Speaker.
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) October 22, 2023
Official Announced Candidates to the House Republican Conference include:
Jack Bergman (MI)
Byron Donalds (FL)
Tom Emmer (MN)
Kevin Hern (OK)
Mike Johnson (LA)
Dan Meuser (PA)
Gary Palmer (AL)
Austin Scott…
Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN) appears to be the frontrunner in the race. He is currently the third highest in Republican leadership and served as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee for the 116th and 117th Congress. He was also endorsed by the previous speaker, Kevin McCarthy, after announcing his bid on Saturday.
The next step in the process is a candidate forum that will take place Monday evening, with a private GOP conference vote set to happen the following morning.
The current speaker pro tempore, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has said he plans to hold a vote in the full House as soon as possible, likely on Tuesday.
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The speakership has now been vacant for 19 days, since the historic ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy on Oct. 3—making him the first Speaker to be removed from the position by his colleagues.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich criticized House Republicans for dragging their feet on “Fox News Sunday” and added that he wishes there were women like Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY) and Rep. Beth Van Duyne (TX) running.
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