Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) should be next in line regarding House Speaker when the new Congress convenes in January, but there’s still plenty of grumblings from the more conservative wings of the Republican Party. The GOP barely managed to retake the House in what turned out to be an atrocious 2022 midterm season. The Republican majority is so razor-thin that if the people wanted to screw around, then yes—a Democrat could preside over the House in what would be a humiliating episode in the annals of the GOP. One of those people making a ruckus is Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who is hoping that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) changes his mind and decides to run for the leadership post (via The Hill):
All I want for Christmas is @Jim_Jordan to realize he should be Speaker of the House!
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 24, 2022
Gaetz, who has repeatedly spoken out against House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) taking up the Speaker’s gavel, followed up that tweet with another on Sunday asking his followers to encourage Jordan to run for top House spot.
The Florida lawmaker has previously supported Jordan for the post, telling Fox News in August that Jordan was the “hardest-working” and the “most talented member” in his more conservative base.
Jordan, who will chair the House Judiciary Committee when the GOP assumes the majority next month, has not announced plans to run for the leadership post.
The Ohio Republican has endorsed McCarthy for House Speaker and expressed concerns this month that Republicans conspiring against the minority leader could work with Democrats to elect a different leader.
McCarthy won a House Republican Conference vote last month but must secure the position on the floor when the next Congress forms in January.
It’s doubtful that will happen, but it highlights the consternation from some very vocal House Republicans about their feeling about McCarthy taking hold of the gavel. Yet, there were similar feelings hurled toward John Boehner when his speakership was supposedly in trouble—it never was. Before the vote, everyone with grievances whines, and I hope those who aren’t big McCarthy fans vent and get it out of their system and then do what has always been done before: vote for the Republican who is most likely to assume this post. That person, for better or worse, is Mr. McCarthy.
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