Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is reconsidering his decision not to run for Speaker just days after he was stripped of the gavel through a ‘motion to vacate‘ introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). Less than an hour after the October 3rd vote ending his Speakership, McCarthy told Republican colleagues he would not make another run for Speaker.
MCCARTHY inches closer to saying he wants to be speaker. He says 96% of the conference supports him. And the rest of the conference is being held back by a handful of those opposing him. https://t.co/iDYRqpY79X
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 9, 2023
Currently Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Steve Scalise (R-LA) are the most likely contenders for the Speakership. Both candidates quickly began whipping votes among House Republicans just moments after the vote to oust McCarthy. Jordan is being backed by former President Donald Trump who gave the Ohio Congressman his “complete and total endorsement.” Scalise, on the other hand, is leveraging his power as House Majority Leader to build a coalition of moderate and conservative Republicans in an effort to head off Jordan.
On the surface it appears both Jordan and Scalise are drawing equivalent levels of support from among their colleagues, meaning the internal debate within the Republican conference could become contentious with no clear preference between the two emerging. If both candidates move their bids forward to the full house, the Speaker election could become deadlocked.
It is this scenario which could allow McCarthy to reclaim his gavel. The former Speaker says he believes nearly the entire Republican conference supports him, with just a few entrenched members being opposed. When asked about rumors he had reconsidered a run for Speaker, McCarthy left the door open, saying: “That’s a decision for the conference.”