7 Republican Reps Offer to Be Censured, Removed from GOP Conference to Get Jordan Elected as Speaker
In a post to X early Friday afternoon, Rep. Matt Gaetz offered up himself and the other seven Republicans who joined with House Democrats on October third to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as sacrificial lambs of a sort, if it would help other Republicans see their way clear to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan as speaker.
“If the holdouts who refuse to vote for Speaker-Designate Jim Jordan would be willing to ‘vote with the team’ and elect him the 56th House Speaker, we are prepared to accept censure, suspension, or removal from the Conference to accomplish this objective,” a letter posted to Gaetz’ X account.
However, in a move that critics will certainly point to as yet another example of the chaos in the Republican Party, one of the eight — Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado — told Politico reporter Olivia Beavers that his presence on the letter was a “mistake.”
Buck did not vote for Jordan in any of the three ballots for speaker. Twenty Republicans voted against Jordan on the first ballot, and he has lost support on each ballot since.
“This was a mistake. Congressman Buck had not agreed to sign this letter and his name has since been removed. His position remains unchanged,” a spokesman for Buck said.
BREAKING: All 8 Republicans Who Voted to Remove McCarthy From Speakership Are Willing to Accept “Censure, Suspension, or Removal From the Conference” In Order to Elect @Jim_Jordan as Speaker
“If the holdouts who refuse to vote for Speaker-Designate Jim Jordan would be willing to… pic.twitter.com/FKBKrzgwvc
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 20, 2023
“The recent passage of the Motion to Vacate the Speaker has cause rancor, hurt feelings and acrimony in the House Republican Conference,” the letter said. “While we stand by our actions, it is our goal to proceed forward with our colleagues, our teammates, our fellow Republicans in a manner that embraces reconciliation.
“It has been suggested the Conference cannot move forward until there are consequences for each of us. While we violated no rule of either the House or Republican Conference, we understand some in the Conference wish to punish us,” it continued, before asking Republican representatives to come together to support Jordan.
“What unites us as Republicans is more important than our disagreements,” the letter concluded. “We must now come together to elect Jim Jordan. We office this sincerely as with the hope of unity with purpose. Our fidelity to Republican virtues and principles remains unwavering.
However, that “unity” was broken almost immediately by Colorado’s Ken Buck, the only one of the representatives to vote for McCarthy’s ouster who didn’t vote for Jordan to replace him.
REP. BUCK tells me : “I have not signed the letter. I’m not going to sign the letter. I am not in favor of electing Jim Jordan speaker.”
He said it was a “misunderstanding” because he “helped draft a letter during the last speaker vote.” https://t.co/1Pj2tpnWuw
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) October 20, 2023
Considerable doubt remains as to whether Jordan can pick up the votes he needs to take the speaker’s chair.
After the third vote, two Republicans — Nebraska’s Don Bacon and Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick — suggested that it’s time for Jordan to drop out of the contest.
“Patrick McHenry doesn’t want it, but he would be great,” Bacon told CNN.
“I think Patrick McHenry is the perfect person to just get us through the year and possibly the cycle,” Fitzpatrick said.
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