Plus, the politicians who definitely won’t get the job.
House Republicans remain sharply divided over who should be the next House Speaker.
The party has now repudiated all three of their top leaders over the past few weeks. This includes House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, and Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer.
Whoever takes up the gavel next is certain to meet some serious challenges ahead. President Biden’s requesting a $105 billion national security package, which includes aid for wars in Ukraine and Israel. The government’s also careening towards another potential government shutdown, and lawmakers only have until Nov. 17 to come up with another funding deal.
Amid this deadlock, all of these recent developments, here’s a look at who who could assume the position.
Who’s in the running to be the new speaker of the House?
Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson
After waiting in the wings, GOP Rep. Mike Johnson launched a bid once it was clear that Jordan was no longer in the running.
Johnson, who’s a former radio host and lawyer, has been serving in Congress since 2017. He currently serves on the vice-chair of the House Republican Conference and is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. He also happens to be a close ally with former President Trump and has contested the results of the 2020 election.
Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern
Kevin Hern was initially nominated for the speakership in January by far-right GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, who praised him as a “true consensus candidate.”
Hern initially brushed off the idea but that all changed once Jordan dropped out of the race. (For context, Hern initially supported Jordan). “We need a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I’m running for Speaker of the House,” he announced on X.
Up until this point, Hern has served as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, which is the largest conservative group in the House. But before jumping into politics, he got his start with a line of successful McDonald’s franchises.
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds
Despite being a relative newcomer to Congress, Rep. Byron Donalds believes he can get the job done and unite House Republicans.
Donalds is currently serving his second term in Congress. In addition to only Black Republican in Florida’s congressional delegation, he’s also a member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus. Like some of those currently being considered, he was also nominated in January to challenge McCarthy and has denied the results of the 2020 election.
Georgia Rep. Austin Scott
Georgia Rep. Austin Scott may not be known as well compared to the other contenders but that hasn’t stopped him from launching two bids for the speakership.
“I supported and voted for Rep. Jim Jordan to be the Speaker of the House,” Scott said in part on X. “Now that he has withdrawn I am running again to be the Speaker of the House.”
Scott has served in the House since 2011 and is member of the conservative Republican Study Committee. But unlike some of ultra-conservative rivals, he didn’t object to the results of the 2020 election. In fact, he was even part of a group who wrote a letter to congressional leaders, saying lawmakers don’t have the power to over overturn such results.
Michigan Rep. Jack Bergman
Rep. Jack Bergman may not be a household name outside of Michigan’s First District, which he represents. Still, he remains confident that he can win the speaker role.
“I have no special interests to serve; I’m only in this to do what’s best for our Nation and to steady the ship for the 118th Congress,” he said in an X post.
Bergman, who’s a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general, chairs the Committee on Armed Services subcommittee on intelligence and special operations, and he is also a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee.
Texas Rep. Pete Sessions
Rep. Pete Sessions has the most experience by far out of those running for speaker. The 68-year-old has served 11 terms in the House and touted his experience atop influential committees.
“During my six-year tenure as Chairman of the House Rules Committee, I helped usher a conservative agenda through Congress,” he said on X. “It’s time to get back to work for the American people.”
Sessions is now a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee. He’s also part of the Republican Main Street Caucus, which one of the most influential Republican factions in the House.
Alabama Rep. Gary Palmer
Rep. Gary Palmer belatedly joined the list of speaker candidates. But he’s one you might want to keep an eye on, given that he’s the longtime chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, which makes him the No. 5 Republican in the House.
First elected to Congress in 2014, he’s a member of the ultra-conservative of the Freedom Caucus and the Republican Study Committee.
Who else might run?
Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser
Rep. Dan Meuser’s still weighing the decision whether to run for speaker.
But, if he did, he said would be focused on inclusion, adding that “every Member of the Republican Conference needs to be a part of policymaking, legislation, and communications.”
Who’s not running?
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer
Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer dropped out of the running just hours after securing the party’s nomination.
Emmer’s quick exit likely had to do with backlash from former President Trump and far-right Republicans. “I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors,” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social. “RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them.”
First elected to Congress in 2014, the Minnesota congressman not only holds the No. 3 spot as GOP whip, he also currently sits on the House Financial Services Committee.
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan
In a closed door meeting, House Republicans ditched Rep. Jim Jordan as their nominee following a third failed vote on the House floor.
“It was an honor to be their speaker designee,” Jordan told reporters afterwards. “We need to come together to figure out who our speaker is going to be. I’m going to work as hard as I can to help that individual.”
Having served as the first-ever chairman of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, Jordan was seen at one time as as an especially appealing candidate for hardline conservatives.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise
As the new top-ranking House Republican, Steve Scalise was initially the most obvious choice to replace McCarthy, but after failing to secure enough votes, he withdrew his name for the speakership and called on the party to come together.
“If you look at where our conference is, there’s still work to be done,” he said. “Our conference still has to come together, and it’s not there. There are still some people that have their own agendas.”
Scalise was first elected to Congress in 2008 to represent Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District. Since then, he has risen through the ranks, serving as majority and minority whip before he assumed his current No. 2 position.
He’s also faced a series of health challenges over the span of his political career. He almost died in 2017 after he was shot by a gunman during a softball practice in Virginia with other Republican members of Congress. But that’s not all: He’s currently battling a type of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma, which he says won’t deter him from becoming the next speaker. “This next chapter won’t be easy, but I know what it takes to fight and I am prepared for the battles that lie ahead,” he said.
California Rep. Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy has ruled out running for speaker again following his tumultuous nine-month reign (which made him the third shortest-serving speaker in House history).
“I don’t regret standing up for choosing governance over grievance,” McCarthy said at a press conference on Tuesday. “It is my responsibility. It is my job. I do not regret negotiating; our government is designed to find compromise.”
But it’s unclear whether the ousted leader will endorse a successor or remain in Congress at all. In an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, he said he “might” endorse a new speaker but didn’t signal whether he would remain in Congress. “I’ll look at that,” he said when asked about it.
Former President Donald Trump
As counterintuitive as it may seem, the Constitution doesn’t explicitly require the speaker to be a member of Congress. So naturally, Donald Trump has been floated as a possible nominee.
On Wednesday, Texas Rep. Troy E. Nehls went ahead and filed the necessary paperwork for Trump’s nomination. He’s apparently not alone — he told The Hill he also has the support of four other lawmakers, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Greg Steube, Ronny Jackson, and Barry Moore. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has also expressed support for the Republican kingmaker.
In response, Trump has said that he needs to focus on his reelection campaign instead. (He’s also likely busy with his multiple legal battles, including his civil fraud trial, which has been heating up this week.) “If I can help them during the process, I’ll do it,” he said. “But we have some great people in the Republican Party that could do a great job as speaker.”
