Former Speaker McCarthy explains why he picked Rep. Patrick McHenry to lead Congress

For a moment Thursday, it appeared that North Carolina’s Patrick McHenry would be formally elected as temporary speaker of the U.S. House.

But as Republicans met in private, things began to fall apart. It became clear that the conference was divided on whether McHenry should be empowered by a vote, which would allow the House to conduct business while no permanent speaker is in place.

And instead of that vote, House Republicans scheduled a third vote for 10 a.m. Friday on whether to elect Rep. Jim Jordan as speaker. The Ohio Republican failed for a third time during the vote to secure a win, sending Republicans back into conference for the afternoon.

The number of Republicans voting against Jordan climbed from 22 to 25.

And McHenry, who had yet to receive a vote on the House floor this week, received six. Democrats cheered for McHenry when he announced his own vote tally.

Since Oct 3, McHenry has served as the speaker pro-tem of the House after eight Republicans and all of the Democrats voted to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his leadership role. McCarthy, following 9/11, was required to keep a list of potential successors who could act as speaker if something were to happen to him.

McHenry found his name at the top of McCarthy’s secret list, and McCarthy told reporters Thursday why he made that choice.

“I wanted somebody who had been a committee chair,” McCarthy told reporters Thursday. “I wanted somebody who wasn’t seeking the job ... I wanted somebody who could work with all sides, and McHenry is ideal for all of that.”

McCarthy went on to say McHenry believes in the continuity of government, he chairs the Financial Services Committee, which McCarthy called “substantial,” and he understands how Congress works.

“He’s been here a number of years, so he understands how it works and he’s respected on both sides of the aisle,” McCarthy said.

Finding a speaker

McHenry’s new job came with little power. He believes he is only allowed to spearhead finding a new speaker to lead the House.

But after 16 days, Republicans have failed to coalesce behind a single person.

They tried Majority Leader Steve Scalise, but Scalise took himself out of the running, unwilling to negotiate with the few holdouts who wanted more from him in exchange for their votes.

Next came Jordan, the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus founder. But when Jordan asked for a floor vote Tuesday afternoon, 20 Republicans picked other members of their party to run the chamber instead of a man many openly called an “insurrectionist,” due to his perceived knowledge of former President Donald Trump’s plans for Jan. 6, 2021.

On Wednesday, Jordan tried again but lost four supporters on the second vote, further cementing that he couldn’t win.

Empowering McHenry

Since late last week, there had been calls by Democratic groups to empower McHenry to legislate, at least to get the country through two international wars in Ukraine and Israel, as well as the Nov. 17 deadline to fund the government or shutdown.

Then former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote an op-ed that said: “Speaker Pro Tempore McHenry is a lot better solution than gridlock and chaos. He should be empowered this week and let’s get on with the peoples’ business.”

After CBS News’ Robert Costa tweeted out that sentence, former Speaker John Boehner replied, “I agree.”

Congress is inching closer to the Nov. 17 deadline to fund the government and watching three international conflicts play out, including in Ukraine and Israel, a close ally of the United States.

Rep. David Joyce, a Republican from Ohio, was resolute Thursday that McHenry should be empowered.

“Without a speaker the U.S. is not able to sufficiently respond to the national security threats we and our allies face today,” Joyce wrote on social media. “When my 8 Republican colleagues decided to vacate the chair, they clearly didn’t have a plan beyond fundraising. By empowering the Speaker Pro Tempore to preside over (legislative) business, we can respond to the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel while the House continues to choose our next Speaker. Anyone who is not onboard with this is not acting in good governance & weakening US defense.”

McHenry is reluctant

McHenry wouldn’t answer Thursday if he would take the speakership, but his colleagues have said that’s not something he wants.

“He said he doesn’t want to do that,” said Rep. Greg Murphy, a Republican from Greenville, told McClatchy last week. “He said he doesn’t think that is correct.”

But McHenry has the support of his North Carolina colleagues. Everyone from Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from Raleigh, to Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, have talked about McHenry’s ability to do the job.

Others are critics of the idea, predicting he would not depart from what bothered them about McCarthy. On Friday, a photographer caught a picture of a resolution that would oust McHenry from his temporary position altogether.

When McHenry, who turns 48 Sunday, took over the House the rules weren’t clear and there was no past precedent on whether McHenry could only help facilitate the election of a new speaker or if McHenry could bring legislation to the floor. Any move McHenry made would become precedent and could be subject to a challenge from any of his colleagues that disagreed.

McCarthy expressed frustration on Thursday that when he created the list he assumed that who he named as his successor would be allowed to keep Congress functioning until a new speaker was chosen.

“I don’t like the idea that (Rep. Matt) Gaetz can go and shut down our Congress, and as Americans, that’s not right,” McCarthy said. “And as the former speaker, I put a name on a list believing that that would never happen. That we would have continuity of government.”

McHenry made a name for himself in Congress climbing to the top of the Financial Services Committee, with the goal of one day being named chair. He fulfilled that goal in January.

But he got to know his fellow lawmakers helping to coalesce the party as deputy majority whip under Scalise. In 2017, McHenry filled in for Scalise after Scalise was brutally injured after a man opened fire on Republicans practicing in Alexandria, Virginia, for a charity baseball game.

And since McCarthy became speaker in January, it was McHenry would was by his side, helping to whip votes on behalf of the chamber’s leader.