House speaker race heats up as nine Republicans announce candidacy

In the wake of Rep. Jim Jordan’s inability to secure the votes necessary for his election as House Speaker, nine other Republicans have thrown their hats into the ring, as reported by the Washington Post on October 22.

The new contenders for the coveted position include Reps. Tom Emmer (Minnesota), Kevin Hern (Oklahoma), Pete Sessions (Texas), Austin Scott (Georgia), Byron Donalds (Florida), Jack Bergman (Michigan), Mike Johnson (Louisiana), Dan Meuser (Pennsylvania), and Gary Palmer (Alabama).

Last week, Jordan fell just three votes short of the 218 needed for the House Speaker election. The Republican conference has scheduled a meeting for Monday evening to deliberate on this expanded slate of candidates. A decisive vote on the next speaker-designate could occur as soon as Tuesday, October 24.

All those aspiring to the position had to submit their intentions to the office of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) by Sunday noon. Stefanik’s office will oversee discussions with GOP lawmakers to finalize their nominee. Meanwhile, Democrats are anticipated to maintain their support for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who ascended to his current role amid prior challenges in the Republican camp to elect former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).