The eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker—an unprecedented move that has thrown the House into chaos—pleaded with their colleagues to elect Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as speaker Friday after he lost a third round of voting and said they would be willing to accept punishment in return for Jordan votes.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) departs from a meeting with House Republicans at the U.S. Capitol Building on ... [+]
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who led the effort to remove McCarthy, along with Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Bob Good (Va.), Nancy Mace (S.C.) and Matt Rosendale (Mont.), penned a letter to the GOP conference Friday defending their decision to eject McCarthy, writing that their actions were intended to “change Washington for the better.”
The group, who defected from the GOP conference and voted with 210 Democrats on October 3 to fire McCarthy from the speakership, said they are “prepared to accept censure, suspension or removal” from the GOP conference if their colleagues agree to elect Jordan, who has been losing support.
The letter acknowledges their move “has caused rancor, hurt feelings and acrimony” within the party, but advocates for a path forward “that embraces reconciliation.”
While McCarthy’s allies have expressed anger toward his detractors in the wake of his removal, none have formally proposed a measure to punish them.
Jordan continued to shed votes in Friday’s third round of the House speaker election, when 25 Republicans voted for other candidates, five more than the first round Tuesday and three more than the second round Wednesday. Jordan can afford to lose only four GOP votes to reach the 217 majority threshold to win as all voting Democrats have cast their ballots for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) The Republican conference met Friday afternoon to discuss a path forward, including nominating an alternative candidate, according to multiple reports.
Despite signing his name to the letter, Buck has voted against Jordan in all three rounds of the speaker election this week, citing Jordan’s refusal to acknowledge that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Buck is one of several Jordan detractors who have accused Jordan and his allies of launching an aggressive pressure campaign to intimidate them to flip their votes. Buck has received four death threats this week from Jordan supporters, along with an eviction notice at his office in Colorado from his landlord, who is “mad with [his]
Jordan Loses Third Round Of Speaker Voting As McCarthy Says 'We're In A Very Bad Place Right Now' (Forbes)
Jordan Suggests House Could Vote Through Weekend If Speaker Not Chosen Friday (Forbes)
GOP's Back-Up Plan To Appoint Temporary Speaker Falls Apart (Forbes)