Could Kevin McCarthy be reinstated as speaker? Loyalists are debating whether to convene the ousted Republican as the House of Representatives remains paralyzed over the deadly Hamas attack on Israel
- McCarthy said he would be willing to resume his position as speaker if the House GOP so chooses
- “Look, whatever the conference wants, I will do,” he told radio host Hugh Hewitt
Kevin McCarthy hasn’t ruled out the idea of running for the House speakership again.
The ousted speaker repeatedly said it was up to the conference whether they would recommend him as speaker again during a news conference where he touted his foreign policy skills amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“That’s a decision of the conference.” “I will leave it to the conference to make whatever decision is made,” he told reporters about a possible nomination for the speaker’s post. “Whether I am speaker or not, I am a member of this body.”
“Look, whatever the conference wants, I will do,” he told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday morning.
Moderate McCarthyites have begun to raise the prospect of the election as it appears unlikely that either of the leading candidates — Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, or Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. – who could receive 217 votes needed to become speaker.
They pointed to the outbreak of war in Israel as evidence of the urgent need for leadership in the House of Representatives.
“Look, whatever the conference wants, I will do,” he told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday morning
Leadership members were briefed on the situation over the weekend, but interim spokesman Patrick McHenry was unable to attend the meeting because he was not elected to the position.
And until the speaker debacle is resolved, no law will be passed to support Israel and replenish its Iron Dome.
California Republican John Duarte insisted that Democrats should allow McCarthy to be re-elected speaker.
“What we know is that there is no greater friend of Israel than Kevin McCarthy,” Duarte said.
“On the Democratic side of this vote, everyone who is a friend of Israel needs to have a tea party or be present at the vote and now let Kevin McCarthy take over as speaker again,” he told Fox and Friends.
Both Scalise and Jordan are considered more conservative than McCarthy.
“We have one of our strongest allies in the world under attack and we are dawdling in a leadership fight in the House of Representatives that should never have happened,” Duarte said.
The prospect of moderate Democrats helping McCarthy back to the speaker’s post is far-fetched – they insist that moderate Republicans should help get Jeffries to the speaker’s post instead.
“It’s a funny news item that has no bearing on reality,” a Democratic House aide told . “Not to mention the fact that Republicans refuse to make any concessions to Democrats, or that it is ridiculous to even think about a single Republican voting for Nancy Pelosi as speaker.”
“It is the job of the majority to elect a speaker.”
In an unprecedented vote last Monday, eight Republicans joined all Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy. After the vote, McCarthy announced that he would not run for speaker again, but remained tight-lipped about what he would do if someone else nominated him for the role.
Last week, McCarthy dismissed reports that he was considering leaving Congress and instead announced he would run again in 2024.
Both Scalise and Jordan are considered more conservative than McCarthy
“I will not resign, I still have a lot to do,” he told reporters.
“I want to keep the majority,” McCarthy said. “We will continue to expand it.”
Meanwhile, Republicans return to Washington for a contentious week that begins with a cross-conference meeting Monday night. On Tuesday, the speaker candidates will tell Republicans why they should have the job, and on Wednesday morning they are expected to vote at the conference on who should be the Republican speaker candidate.
Democrats will unite behind Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as their candidate for speaker. So since Republicans only have a four-vote majority, they need almost their entire conference on board to get 217 votes in the House.