House Republicans risk long fight for speaker as Israel-Hamas war rages

WASHINGTON – Some GOP lawmakers are expressing concern that the House could see a drawn-out fight for speaker, leaving the House paralyzed as the war in Israel rages.

House Republicans will meet in a closed-door conference meeting Wednesday evening, where they will hold a secret-ballot vote to nominate a candidate for the highest position in the lower chamber.

But unlike other previous races, this one follows the historic ouster of former speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. The speaker election is contested and there is no clear path to victory for either major candidate: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Judiciary Committee chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Both lawmakers, considered giants within the House GOP conference, have racked up endorsements from their fellow GOP lawmakers, revealing a split within the party.

Scalise and Jordan made the rounds around Capitol Hill Tuesday, meeting with various House Republican groups including the Republican Governance Group and House Republicans’ Florida delegation.

House Republicans also held a candidate forum Tuesday evening, in which Scalise and Jordan presented their visions for the speakership and were grilled by lawmakers for over two hours behind closed doors. Exiting the forum, GOP lawmakers had mixed feelings as to whether they could coalesce behind a speaker quickly.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., opted not to bet big on the House having a speaker by the end of Wednesday: “I put it at 2%,” he said.

The conflict in the Middle East has put a new sense of urgency on House Republicans to elect a new leader. But it’s unclear if that sentiment will quicken the process.

“I don’t know if by the end of this week if we’ll have a speaker,” Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., told reporters Tuesday evening.

But, Cammack added, she thought it would have been possible for the House to be speaker-less for as long as a month. But the war broke out and the conflict has added pressure for lawmakers to unite behind a new leader.

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Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., told reporters that getting a new speaker is an important priority.

“I think that this is a priority for the American people and to (the) continuity of government,” D’Esposito said. “It shouldn’t depend on current events. It should depend on the fact that we want to get our government back in action.”

McCarthy, speaking to reporters outside the candidate forum, said there was a need to elect a new speaker to get the House moving again to act on Israel.

Some GOP lawmakers floated the idea of reinstating McCarthy as speaker. But the California Republican appeared to shoot down the plan Tuesday, dissuading lawmakers from nominating him. He suggested instead that they decide on either Scalise or Jordan for speaker.

Many lawmakers are still undecided on their choice, even after leaving the candidate forum where Scalise and Jordan took questions for over two hours.

“I’m gonna sleep on it,” Cammack said.

“No, I haven’t (decided),” Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., said.

“I haven’t (endorsed) publicly, no,” Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the conservative hardliner who spearheaded the efforts to oust McCarthy from his post, hasn’t decided yet either.

Some members who have already endorsed a candidate, such as Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, have not committed to supporting the alternative prospective speaker even if they win the nomination.

“If that is the strategy by this conference, that whoever gets the majority, everyone else gets behind, I will not do it,” said Nehls, who is backing Jordan.

He would only consider voting for Scalise, he said, if it was clear he could earn the 217 votes to become speaker.

GOP lawmakers still held out hope they could elect a new speaker by the end of this week, but acknowledged the risk of a protracted battle that could keep the House virtually powerless.

“There’s always a risk for everything. Democracy is always ugly,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House GOP risks drawn out speaker fight as Israel war rages