GOP Heavyweights Vying for Speaker to Spar in Televised Debate, Host Announced: Report
Fox News’ Bret Baier will host a televised debate on Monday evening between declared and potential candidates for House speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, who have both announced speaker bids, will participate along with Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, who is considering a run, a source familiar told Punchbowl News.
The debate, which will be televised by Fox News, will either be live or pre-recorded, but will be closed to the media, Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman posted on X.
The debate will precede the House GOP’s candidate forum on Tuesday and speaker election on Wednesday.
Scalise and Jordan are both racking up endorsements, with Majority Whip Tom Emmer backing Scalise and former President Donald Trump throwing his support behind Jordan.
The House voted 216-210 to remove McCarthy from his post after Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate on Monday.
Along with Gaetz, Republican Reps. Matt Rosendale of Montana, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Eli Crane of Arizona, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Bob Good of Virginia voted to oust McCarthy.
Many allies of McCarthy have been critical of Gaetz and the other Republicans who supported the motion to vacate. Some have floated expelling the Florida congressman, and others have called for a change to the rules to avoid a similar situation in the future.
McCarthy soon announced he would not seek the position again, and Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry of North Carolina has been serving as speaker pro tempore.
Fox News, Scalise, Jordan and Hern did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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