Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Friday endorsed Republican Majority Whip Tom Emmer to succeed him after GOP lawmakers voted to remove Rep. Jim Jordan as their designated candidate for speaker.
Mr. Emmer of Minnesota, the chamber’s No. 3 Republican leader, began making calls to his fellow Republicans to determine if he had enough support to win the nomination, a Capitol Hill source told The Washington Times.
“He is the right person for the job. He can unite the conference. He understands the dynamics of the conference. He also understands what it takes to win and keep a majority,” Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, said in a statement.
Prior to becoming majority whip, Mr. Emmer, a fifth-term lawmaker from the Minneapolis suburbs, led the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2019 through 2023.
At least a half-dozen Republican representatives are now weighing bids for House speaker after GOP lawmakers voted to give up on the conservative Mr. Jordan’s quest for the gavel.
Among those who have declared their candidacy for speaker or are considering it are Republican Study Committee Chairmen Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, GOP Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia.
House Republicans on Monday will hold another candidates’ forum behind closed doors, after more than two weeks in which the House has been effectively shut down as it awaits a permanent new speaker.
Mr. Jordan of Ohio was the favorite of hardline conservatives but was unable to garner the 217 votes needed to win the speaker’s job because of unyielding opposition from more than two dozen Republican holdouts.
Mr. Jordan’s detractors included House appropriators who did not support his plans to drastically reduce federal spending.
Other Jordan opponents would not support him because they were upset over how Mr. McCarthy was ousted. He was pushed out by some of the same conservative lawmakers who are now backing Mr. Jordan.
Some also objected to Mr. Jordan’s lack of active support for GOP Majority Whip Steve Scalise, the first choice of the House GOP caucus to be nominated for speaker, before the Louisiana lawmaker pulled out of the race.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.