House GOP conference remains deeply divided amid search for next speaker
From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Manu Raju, Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer and Lauren Fox
House Republicans gathered for the first time since last week’s historic vote to oust Kevin McCarthy, but the two-hour session left them no closer toward coalescing around a speaker nominee and a path forward as they debate potential rules changes and grapple with the raw feelings lingering after the unprecedented events of last week.
While the impetus on Republicans to pick a new speaker escalated after the terrorist attack in Israel over the weekend, the House GOP conference remains bitterly divided over how it should proceed – and who can get the 217 votes needed to lead it.
Republicans are preparing for the prospect that neither House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana nor House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio can get the votes to be elected speaker, leaving the conference with no clear path forward. They’re also divided over the rules that the conference will use to elect a new speaker – while hoping to avoid the embarrassment of the 15-vote marathon that played out for McCarthy in January.
“The House needs to get back to work, and that means we’ve got to select the speaker, and you saw strong resolve to make sure that we can come together quickly (to) get our speaker elected,” Scalise told reporters following a marathon two-hour conference meeting Monday evening.
House Republicans are slated to hear again from Scalise and Jordan on Tuesday evening for a candidate forum, but it’s unlikely that another meeting will solve the conference’s simmering issues.
The Monday session also gave lawmakers the chance to vent about the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy and left the House speakerless. GOP lawmakers made clear their emotions are still raw, and it will take ample time to find consensus after the unprecedented events of last week.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin told CNN he wasn’t ready to back a candidate.
“I’m not backing anyone, until we deal with the fact that we have people in our conference who could shut this House down on a whim again,” Orden said.
Read more about the race for the next House speaker here.
11 min ago
The rules for removing a House speaker have become central to the race to replace McCarthy
From CNN's Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Annie Grayer
A key contingent of moderate Republicans are laying out demands for House speakership candidates. Chief among them: winning assurances the government doesn’t shut down in mid-November, and changing the rules so it requires more than a single lawmaker to call for a vote and seek the ouster of a sitting speaker, as Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida just did to Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
“I want to see conference rules change,” said Rep. Max Miller, a freshman from Ohio. “I want to see the motion to vacate go back up to a majority of the majority at 112.”
Remember: "Motion to vacate" is the name of the procedure used to remove a speaker. When he was trying to win the job in January, McCarthy agreed to rules that allow just one member to initiate a motion to vacate — significantly lowering the bar for voting on ousting the chamber's leader. Some hardliners are insisting that rule stay in place.
Asked if he could commit to backing a candidate who doesn’t commit to changing the powerful rule, Miller said: “It’s going to be very tough.”
Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana told CNN he wants to discuss the rule changes before holding speaker elections, telling reporters last week, “I think before we have a single discussion about the speaker, we’ve got to discuss the functionality of the position.”
During his call with the business-minded Main Street Caucus on Thursday, contender Rep. Jim Jordan said any changes to the motion to vacate would need to be a conference decision, a source on the call said, but he sounded open to changing it.
11 min ago
The battle to win the House speakership could hinge on moderate Republicans
From CNN's Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Annie Grayer
Behind the scenes, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio have been making a direct pitch to more centrist members, both insisting they will make their reelection battles a priority and ensure more stability atop the badly divided conference, according to sources familiar with the conversations.
Jordan and Scalise have made overtures to a bloc of New York Republicans who are among the most vulnerable in the House and would be considered a key prize for whichever candidate wins them over.
Scalise met virtually with the House Freedom Caucus on Sunday afternoon as he tried to lock down support ahead of a secret-ballot leadership election Wednesday to nominate a candidate for speaker, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move comes after Jordan met with the same group on Friday.
Jordan is also targeting a key constituency that is seen as up for grabs: moderate members who were loyal to McCarthy. Over the years, the former speaker has had a tepid relationship with Scalise, his top deputy, as the two were long seen as potential rivals. McCarthy, though, is staying neutral in the race right now.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, a McCarthy ally who considers himself center right, said Jordan “certainly can win me over.”
“He was one of Kevin McCarthy’s most vocal supporters,” Gimenez told CNN. “And you know what? That carries a lot of weight.”
Jordan gained a key endorsement Friday from former President Donald Trump.
In a post on Truth Social shortly after midnight, Trump said Jordan “will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”
While his backing could boost Jordan’s support on the right, it won’t do much to sway moderates.
But many members are keeping their powder dry, worried that neither candidate would be able to win the support of nearly every Republican on the floor. That means the House could see a prolonged race, much like in January. Some members are holding out hope for a dark-horse candidate to emerge, potentially the interim speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, who so far hasn’t taken steps for a possible run.
House Republicans are no closer toward coalescing around a speaker nominee after they gathered Monday for the first time since last week's historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy.
While the impetus on the GOP to find a new speaker escalated after the terrorist attack in Israel over the weekend, the conference remains divided over how it should proceed and who can get the 217 votes needed to lead it. Until a new speaker is selected, the House can't pass legislation to address the crisis.
GOP Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana are running for the position and trying to court a key contingent of moderate Republicans. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Jordan.
Republicans are preparing for the possibility that neither Scalise nor Jordan can get the votes to be elected the next speaker. The House GOP conference will hear from Jordan and Scalise later Tuesday at a candidate forum.
House Republicans gathered for the first time since last week’s historic vote to oust Kevin McCarthy, but the two-hour session left them no closer toward coalescing around a speaker nominee and a path forward as they debate potential rules changes and grapple with the raw feelings lingering after the unprecedented events of last week.
While the impetus on Republicans to pick a new speaker escalated after the terrorist attack in Israel over the weekend, the House GOP conference remains bitterly divided over how it should proceed – and who can get the 217 votes needed to lead it.
Republicans are preparing for the prospect that neither House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana nor House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio can get the votes to be elected speaker, leaving the conference with no clear path forward. They’re also divided over the rules that the conference will use to elect a new speaker – while hoping to avoid the embarrassment of the 15-vote marathon that played out for McCarthy in January.
“The House needs to get back to work, and that means we’ve got to select the speaker, and you saw strong resolve to make sure that we can come together quickly (to) get our speaker elected,” Scalise told reporters following a marathon two-hour conference meeting Monday evening.
House Republicans are slated to hear again from Scalise and Jordan on Tuesday evening for a candidate forum, but it’s unlikely that another meeting will solve the conference’s simmering issues.
The Monday session also gave lawmakers the chance to vent about the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy and left the House speakerless. GOP lawmakers made clear their emotions are still raw, and it will take ample time to find consensus after the unprecedented events of last week.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin told CNN he wasn’t ready to back a candidate.
“I’m not backing anyone, until we deal with the fact that we have people in our conference who could shut this House down on a whim again,” Orden said.
Read more about the race for the next House speaker here.
A key contingent of moderate Republicans are laying out demands for House speakership candidates. Chief among them: winning assurances the government doesn’t shut down in mid-November, and changing the rules so it requires more than a single lawmaker to call for a vote and seek the ouster of a sitting speaker, as Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida just did to Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
“I want to see conference rules change,” said Rep. Max Miller, a freshman from Ohio. “I want to see the motion to vacate go back up to a majority of the majority at 112.”
Remember: "Motion to vacate" is the name of the procedure used to remove a speaker. When he was trying to win the job in January, McCarthy agreed to rules that allow just one member to initiate a motion to vacate — significantly lowering the bar for voting on ousting the chamber's leader. Some hardliners are insisting that rule stay in place.
Asked if he could commit to backing a candidate who doesn’t commit to changing the powerful rule, Miller said: “It’s going to be very tough.”
Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana told CNN he wants to discuss the rule changes before holding speaker elections, telling reporters last week, “I think before we have a single discussion about the speaker, we’ve got to discuss the functionality of the position.”
During his call with the business-minded Main Street Caucus on Thursday, contender Rep. Jim Jordan said any changes to the motion to vacate would need to be a conference decision, a source on the call said, but he sounded open to changing it.
Behind the scenes, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio have been making a direct pitch to more centrist members, both insisting they will make their reelection battles a priority and ensure more stability atop the badly divided conference, according to sources familiar with the conversations.
Jordan and Scalise have made overtures to a bloc of New York Republicans who are among the most vulnerable in the House and would be considered a key prize for whichever candidate wins them over.
Scalise met virtually with the House Freedom Caucus on Sunday afternoon as he tried to lock down support ahead of a secret-ballot leadership election Wednesday to nominate a candidate for speaker, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move comes after Jordan met with the same group on Friday.
Jordan is also targeting a key constituency that is seen as up for grabs: moderate members who were loyal to McCarthy. Over the years, the former speaker has had a tepid relationship with Scalise, his top deputy, as the two were long seen as potential rivals. McCarthy, though, is staying neutral in the race right now.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, a McCarthy ally who considers himself center right, said Jordan “certainly can win me over.”
“He was one of Kevin McCarthy’s most vocal supporters,” Gimenez told CNN. “And you know what? That carries a lot of weight.”
Jordan gained a key endorsement Friday from former President Donald Trump.
In a post on Truth Social shortly after midnight, Trump said Jordan “will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”
While his backing could boost Jordan’s support on the right, it won’t do much to sway moderates.
But many members are keeping their powder dry, worried that neither candidate would be able to win the support of nearly every Republican on the floor. That means the House could see a prolonged race, much like in January. Some members are holding out hope for a dark-horse candidate to emerge, potentially the interim speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, who so far hasn’t taken steps for a possible run.
