Visit my YouTube channel

Here are the Republicans in the mix to replace Kevin McCarthy

admin
#USA#BreakingNews#News

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 04: U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) listens in the House Chamber during the second day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is meeting to vote for the next Speaker after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) failed to earn more than 218 votes on three separate Tuesday ballots, the first time in 100 years that the Speaker was not elected on the first ballot. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)




By Maeve Sheehey and Jonathan Tamari, Bloomberg News

After a handful of conservative hardliners ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Tuesday, Republicans have to decide who to turn to next to try and manage their slim and unruly majority and lead the House.

A number of current GOP leaders could emerge in coming days although at this point they remain loyal to McCarthy and opposed to any efforts to remove him.

McCarthy allies and critics alike worry there might not be another lawmaker who can win enough support from the conference to take over, leaving the House effectively unable to operate. McCarthy could have tried to reclaim the speakership but said Tuesday he will not do so.

Here are possible contenders for the top job:

Rep. Steve Scalise (La.)

House GOP Members Meet For Their Weekly Caucus Meeting
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 18: U.S. House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) speaks to reporters at a press conference following a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on July 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) 

As the majority leader, the affable lawmaker from Louisiana is the second-ranking Republican and so, theoretically, he’d be first in line to replace McCarthy. Scalise has a more conservative profile than McCarthy, potentially helping him win over Freedom Caucus and other conservative members who never felt ideologically in sync with the Californian. He announced in August that he has a blood cancer known as multiple myeloma and was undergoing treatment.He returned to the Capitol last month and said his treatment was going well. Aside from health concerns, some Republicans also might not want to replace one establishment figure with another atop the conference.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)

McCarthy Ousted As Speaker Of The House After Historic Vote
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters as he leaves the U.S. Capitol after U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted form his position, October 3, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) 

The far-right lawmaker who led the push to oust McCarthy, has floated Scalise as a possible replacement. He said the leader shouldn’t be passed over for speaker because of his health issues.

Rep. Tom Emmer (Minn.)

McCarthy Ousted As Speaker Of The House After Historic Vote
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) talks with reporters as he departs a Republican conference at the U.S. Capitol shortly after the motion to vacate Speaker Kevin McCarthy passes on October 3, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images) 

The former hockey player and GOP whip is now the conference’s third-ranking member, so, like Scalise, it makes sense that he would be in the mix. As the two-time chair of the GOP’s national House campaign arm, he has relationships with about two dozen Republicans he helped elect, and as whip he has been charged with building bridges across the conference, so he has ties with all factions. But he might also face criticism for the GOP’s relatively weak midterm gains last year – a problem that left them with such a tenuous majority in the first place.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.)

McCarthy Ousted As Speaker Of The House After Historic Vote
Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) arrives for a Republican Conference meeting shortly after the motion to vacate Kevin McCarthy’s position as Speaker of the House passes on Capitol Hill on October 3, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images) 

Another current leader, Stefanik is the GOP’s fourth-in-command and also likely to be in the mix. Once seen as a moderate New Yorker, the Harvard-educated Stefanik in recent years has remade herself as a full-throated Donald Trump loyalist, to the point where she knocked former Rep. Liz Cheney from leadership because of Cheney’s criticisms of the former president. Stefanik would be the first female Republican to lead the House. Some conservatives, though, might be suspicious of her recent ideological conversion.

Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio)

House Lawmakers Work On Funding Deal As Possible Government Shutdown Looms
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) arrives for a meeting of the Republican House caucus on September 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images) 

Jordan is probably the most prominent and visible Trump ally in the House, a former Freedom Caucus leader who chairs the powerful Judiciary Committee. He led the defense of Trump during the former president’s first impeachment, and is now a driving force behind the push to impeach President Joe Biden. He’s one of the few figures who might actually please the party’s restive far right. But swing-district Republicans would almost certainly be wary of such a hard right turn.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)

House GOP Caucus Meets To Discuss Impeachment Inquiry
U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) arrives for a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on September 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) 

Issa noted that Jordan has been a supporter of McCarthy and has softened his reputation he gained in previous years for being a bomb- thrower. “Today, he’s a very effective chairman who understands the nature of the leadership of Speaker McCarthy has been a leadership of inclusion,” said Issa.

Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.)

GOP Caucus Meets On Capitol Hill
House Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) speaks to reporters after a Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on September 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) 

A dark horse might be Cole, who is the embodiment of an old school member of Congress: a cigar-smoking institutionalist close with leadership and an appropriator who has managed to navigate the chamber over 20 years. He’s a former political staffer and now chairs the powerful Rules Committee. He’d potentially be a figure of stability, but conservatives wouldn’t likely see him as an agent of change.

___

©2023 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Originally published at Tribune News Service

Post a Comment

0Comments
Post a Comment (0)
Visit my YouTube channel

#buttons=(Accept !) #days=(20)

Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Learn More
Accept !