This post was originally published on this site
Who will be the next speaker of the House of Representatives: Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise or … Kevin McCarthy?
With an internal House Republican meeting set for Wednesday to select their nominee, the focus is on House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jordan of Ohio, House Majority Leader Scalise of Louisiana and, as of Monday afternoon, back on McCarthy.
McCarthy, the California Republican who just last week was ousted from the speaker’s office amid a revolt from hard-right members, on Monday was not ruling out a return to the position if support coalesces for him.
“I’m going to allow the conference to do their work,” McCarthy said at a Monday news conference, declining to endorse either Jordan or Scalise for the speaker post.
The eventual speaker elected by the House will have impact on the task of avoiding a government shutdown on Nov. 17, aid to Israel as it is engulfed in a war with Hamas, and longer-term spending priorities for Congress.
Analysts at Raymond James said the tensions in the Middle East could help speed the election of a new speaker.
“The spike in Middle East tensions following attacks on Israel may help resolve domestic U.S. uncertainty related to the ongoing House speaker battle and clarify the path forward for new defense funding,” they wrote Monday.
Jordan, who is backed by former President Donald Trump and helped found the House Freedom Caucus, said on Sunday that his first move should he win the post would be to help Israel, and Scalise wrote in a post on X that Israel has the “full support” of the United States. Scalise is less aligned with Trump supporters in the GOP.
Now see: Dow turns higher as stocks shake off weakness seen after Hamas attack on Israel
A House-floor vote to select the speaker could happen as soon as Wednesday. A successful candidate needs the majority of those present and voting for speaker. In January, it took McCarthy 15 rounds to win the post.
Some centrist Republicans are calling to restore McCarthy as speaker after the attacks on Israel, CNN reported. They are expressing concern that the House remains paralyzed without a speaker, and are worried they won’t be able to agree on a new candidate quickly.
Key Words: Ray Dalio calls McCarthy’s ouster ‘another step away from democracy and toward civil war’
