Rep. Kevin Hern, from Tulsa, gauging interest in run to replace Kevin McCarthy as speaker

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, the Oklahoma Republican who led the effort on Tuesday to save Kevin McCarthy’s job as speaker, had harsh words on Wednesday for the members who drove McCarthy out and said he had been approached about replacing him.

“The damage that these eight people did to our electoral prospects and our governing prospects is almost incalculable,” Cole, of Moore, said in an interview.

“The longer the speaker race goes on, the more difficult it will be to achieve every objective.”

Eight Republicans joined by 208 Democrats ousted McCarthy, leaving Republicans, who own a slim majority, scrambling to elect a successor and reopen the House of Representatives.

Rep. Kevin Hern plans to pitch himself to Republicans for House speaker

Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Tulsa, who received votes for speaker in January during the marathon balloting that led to McCarthy’s victory, told Capitol Hill reporters on Wednesday that he was meeting with Republicans to pitch himself as a candidate to succeed McCarthy.

Hern, who has been in the House since 2019, said his conservative voting record and his experience in business — he was the longtime owner of several McDonald’s franchises — led to interest from his colleagues.

“I think everyone knows I’m very conservative," said Hern, 61, who is chairman of the influential Republican Study Committee. “In fact, I’m probably one of the most conservative members in Congress. It’s been reported time and time again. I think that’s important for the Republican Party to know that. As some people have said, I’m conservative and I’m not mad about it. That’s good. I think that’s a good way to go in the Republican Party. I think we need to be pointing our guns outward, not at each other.”

More: After McCarthy ousted, who will be the next Speaker? Could Trump be tapped? What we know.

Cole, 74, who has been in the House since 2003, said he also had received calls about running for speaker, but was not inclined to do so. He said he was leaning toward backing Rep. Steve Scalise, of Louisiana, who on Wednesday officially announced his candidacy for speaker.

“He’s a dear friend,” Cole said. “I think he’s done a tremendous job.”

Scalise is the majority leader, one step below speaker, and has faced some health problems. He suffered serious injuries in 2017 when he was shot by a gunman at a baseball field near Washington. Last month he announced he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer.

Cole said Scalise would face “some tough questions” from colleagues about his health, but that Scalise had assured him he was able to do the job.

Cole said he also told Hern that he should look at running.

“I don’t have any doubt about his ability to discharge the job,” Cole said. “I said, ‘If I were you, I would be giving it a hard look; you ought to be making calls, you ought to be talking to people about it.’ And we’ll just keep visiting. I’m proud to have an Oklahoman that’s amongst the people being mentioned in this capacity. It’s nothing but a good thing for the state and certainly nothing but a sincere compliment to Hern.”

What Oklahoma lawmakers say should happen next after Kevin McCarthy removed

Cole said Republicans should change the rule that allowed one member, Florida Republican Matt Gaetz, to force a vote on retaining the speaker; Cole likened the potential change to “taking away sharp knives from children.”

Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, who was a strong ally of McCarthy and a negotiator for him during recent budget talks, said Wednesday, “Instead of focusing on reducing spending, fighting for border security, and supporting our military and veterans, the House is currently hamstrung, unable to continue our work.

“We have precious time left before a second potential government shutdown, so the House must immediately come together and elect a new Speaker who can unite our conference and be laser-focused on delivering conservative results for the American people. Moving forward, we must make changes to the motion to vacate to ensure that a handful of members cannot upend the institution."

Cole said some of his colleagues want the eight Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy booted out of the GOP conference, a move that would strip them of their committees.

More: How Oklahoma lawmakers voted in bid to remove Kevin McCarthy as House speaker

“I’m not advocating that,” he said. “I’m just saying there are plenty of people that are.”

The days-long recess will give members, many of whom are very angry about McCarthy’s ouster, time to cool down, Cole said. He said the group that ousted McCarthy, a California Republican, likely would not be making more threats soon.

“There may be some tension, but I don’t think you can assassinate people back to back, with no decent interval,” he said.

Cole’s position as chairman of the powerful Rules Committee could be in jeopardy if the new speaker wants to install someone of his own choosing. He said he wouldn’t complain if that move was made. Cole’s top priority has always been the Appropriations Committee, where he is a senior member and, potentially, its next chairman.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Rep. Kevin Hern considering run to replace Kevin McCarthy as speaker