House GOP split ahead of speaker vote as McCarthy tells allies not to nominate him
by Reese Gorman, Congressional Reporter & Cami Mondeaux, Congressional Reporter
The House Republican Conference is set to hold its speaker candidate forum on Tuesday, but members remain divided, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is now discouraging allies from adding him to the mix.
Two lawmakers have emerged as top contenders for the position, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH). Both candidates have spent the past week meeting with different caucuses and delegations, making their case as to why they should be the next speaker.
Jordan currently leads in public endorsements over Scalise, but there is still a majority of members who have either not publicly endorsed either candidate or say they have not yet made up their minds.
“It's time that we make a selection and get back to governing,” Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) said. “Both [Scalise and Jordan], I think, could get us there.”
As it stands, whoever receives a simple majority in the party's conference meeting on Wednesday will become the GOP nominee. However, that process could be complicated because more than 90 Republicans are trying to change the rules that would require any one candidate to receive 217 votes in the meeting in order to become the conference’s nominee.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/house-republicans-remain-divided-nominate-new-speaker
