Who's Next? Rumors Swirl, Candidates Emerge for House Speaker Following McCarthy's Ouster
The House of Representatives has been thrown into chaos after Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz successfully had Kevin McCarthy kicked out of the speaker’s chair on Tuesday.
Already a number of candidates have come forward, and others are rumored to be in the wings.
As the horse-trading starts, the seat is temporarily held by North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry, a McCarthy ally.
One of the first names bandied about to take over as leader of the House was none other than former President Donald Trump.
The fact is, the House speaker does not have to be a member of the House — though to date they all have been. So it would be perfectly legal for Trump to take the seat if he were to get the votes.
Almost immediately after McCarthy was deposed, Texas Rep. Troy Nehls said he would be nominating Trump for the position.
“President Trump, the greatest president of my lifetime, has a proven record of putting America first and will make the House great again,” he said.
Nehls isn’t alone. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Florida Rep. Greg Steube also called for Trump to take the speaker’s chair.
But what does Trump himself have to say about all the chatter?
“If I can help them during the process, I would do it, but we have some great people in the Republican Party that could do a great job as speaker,” Trump said on Wednesday.
“I’ll do whatever it is to help but my focus — my total focus — is being president and, quite honestly, making America great again.”
But there are a lot of candidates other than Trump eyeing the seat.
Several members of Congress have already thrown their hats in the ring, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and conservative favorite Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Then there are the long shots.
Some, including Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, have floated Florida Rep. Byron Donalds. Donalds was nominated for the speakership back in January before McCarthy won the role.
Axios reported that Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern may also be in contention.
So who is the favorite? According to Axios, Scalise and Jordan are the two front-runners. (For what it’s worth, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has predicted that Jordan will ultimately come out on top.)
Clearly, there is no heir apparent. Things look to be on hold in the House while Republicans wrangle over who will lead the chamber and the countdown clock ticks on the recent short-term, stopgap budget.
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