Who is GOP Speaker candidate Austin Scott?
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House Republicans continue to attempt to find consensus in the search for a new Speaker, a position that puts the member third in line to the presidency, after ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the post last week.
And now a new figure has emerged. Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) has thrown his hat into the race.
Republicans are again huddling behind closed doors Friday, trying to save themselves from an embarrassing splintering seen during the January marathon speaker votes.
Scott is up against House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who has been spearheading the impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
“We are in Washington to legislate, and I want to lead a House that functions in the best interest of the American people,” Scott posted online in his Speaker race announcement.
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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who initially won the GOP nomination earlier this week, withdrew from the race late Thursday night after it appeared he couldn’t get the 217 votes needed to secure the position.
It’s unclear when an eventual vote will happen, as members from both sides are absent Friday.
House business is essentially frozen until a new Speaker is selected, as a government shutdown looms and critical aid for Israel and Ukraine is sought.
The Senate has been out this week, waiting on word from the House that things will be moving forward.
McCarthy’s removal last week was the first time that a Speaker has been voted out and it came just months after another historic feat: It took 15 rounds of voting before he secured the gavel after behind-the-scenes deals with skeptical Republicans.
So who is Austin Scott?
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) speaks to reporters following a House Republican Conference meeting where they held a secret ballot for their next candidate for Speaker on Friday, October 13, 2023.
Scott, who was GOP freshmen class president for the 112th Congress, is in his seventh term in the House, representing Georgia’s deeply Republican 8th Congressional District in the south-central portion of the state. The district voted for former President Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.
A native of Augusta, Ga., Scott, 53, was elected to the Georgia State House when he was 26, after graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in risk management and insurance.
Scott’s district has two Air Force bases: Moody and Robins, so he’s been a pro-military and pro-defense spending advocate.
In addition to the Armed Services Committee, he’s a member of the Agriculture and Intelligence committees.
Across the aisle?
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) is seen following a House Republican Conference meeting where they held a secret ballot for their next candidate for Speaker on Friday, October 13, 2023.
With a very slim majority in the House, many have called on Republicans to find a leader who can work across the aisle and with the Democratic leadership in the Senate and Biden in the White House.
Scott helped Georgia Democrats in the effort to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag in 2001, bucking the Republican Party line.
But Scott opposes abortion and same-sex marriage and has called for federal bans on both. He also challenged the 2020 election of Biden over Trump.
Just before Trump left office and after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, Scott lambasted Democrats.
“Make no mistake about it, these calls for President Trump’s removal would not be happening without the leader of the Democratic Party, President-elect Joe Biden’s, support,” he said in a statement at the time. “Speaker Pelosi and liberal Democrats seek to further divide our nation rather than work towards unity – unity that many on both sides of the aisle have stated is critical for our country at this time. I voted NO on the 25th Amendment resolution and the article of impeachment against President Trump.”
“I think there are a lot of congressmen who are willing to be one-term congressmen,” Scott added, “and I say that as a compliment.”
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