
House Speaker Race · Political Instability · Republican Leadership · US Congress
Republicans in the US House of Representatives reconvened in October 2023 to nominate a third candidate for Speaker after Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan failed, with nine congressmen registering by the Sunday noon deadline.
The article, published October 22, 2023, details the nine candidates vying for the speakership following Kevin McCarthy's removal on October 3. Candidates included Tom Emmer, Mike Johnson, Kevin Hern, Byron Donalds, Austin Scott, Jack Bergman, Pete Sessions, Gary Palmer, and Dan Meuser.
Emmer, the majority whip, received McCarthy's endorsement but faced opposition from Donald Trump and allies due to his 2020 election certification vote. Mike Johnson, a key architect of the 2020 election objection strategy, was an ally of Jordan.
The ongoing struggle to elect a speaker highlighted significant dysfunction within the House Republican conference.