Republican House Heavyweights Floated as Replacements for Speaker McCarthy
House Republicans who have clashed with Speaker Kevin McCarthy on questions of government spending have been considering candidates to replace him, according to a new report.
McCarthy, who was elected speaker in January after 15 rounds of voting in the House, has been frequently attacked by members of the House Freedom Caucus, such as Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, for not insisting on heavy spending cuts.
Those members, led by Gaetz, have threatened to force a vote to remove McCarthy from the speakership and have floated House Majority Whip Tom Emmer as a replacement, according to The Washington Post.
“I fully support Speaker McCarthy. He knows that and I know that,” Emmer told the Post. “I have zero interest in palace intrigue. End of discussion.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan was the subject of earlier speculation as a possible speaker.
However, Jordan nominated McCarthy for the position, even as he himself was repeatedly nominated by Gaetz and Rep. Chip Roy of Texas.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has also been mentioned as an alternative to McCarthy, according to the Post.
“It is my belief that there is nobody at this point in time that has the majority votes in order to become speaker other than Kevin McCarthy,” Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith of Virginia told Politico. “If you know somebody, name them.”
McCarthy was previously denied the speakership due to conservative opposition in 2015 after then-Speaker John Boehner retired. Then-Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP’s vice presidential nominee in the 2012 presidential election, eventually assumed the role.
McCarthy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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