Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made history last week as the first person that lawmakers have ever voted to oust from the House speaker’s office, igniting fierce competition among congressional fundraising titans to assume the mantle of leadership.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) won the House GOP speakership nomination on Wednesday, paving the way for a floor vote to decide who will be the next Speaker of the House.
Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) was also a candidate for the nomination and some members of Congress — including Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Keith Self (R-Texas), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — say they still plan to vote for Jordan on the House floor.
McCarthy says he told his colleagues in Congress not to re-nominate him, according to multiple reports. But on Monday, the former speaker said he was willing to resume serving as speaker if enough of the Republicans are open to his reinstatement.
Democrats nominated House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to be the next House speaker but the move is largely a formality since the minority party lacks enough votes to pick the speaker.
Republican lawmakers have also been floating the names of some lesser-known contenders who have not gained as much national attention but are nevertheless major fundraisers and popular within the House Republican Conference.
