Meet the Candidate Who Tried to Take On Jim Jordan In the Speaker's Race

As House Republicans continue trying to find a consensus in the search for a Speaker to take Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA.) place, a new candidate has jumped into the race.

Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA.) has placed his bid to be the new House Speaker just a day after Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA.), who initially won the GOP nomination, withdrew from the race. 

“We are in Washington to legislate, and I want to lead a House that functions in the best interest of the American people,” Scott tweeted. 

On Friday, Scott, a seventh-term lawmaker, told reporters that he doesn’t necessarily want to be Speaker, but he wants a “House that functions correctly.” According to him, the “House is not functioning correctly.”

“I care more about the conference and that it’s doing our job than I care about who the Speaker is. I truly do,” Scott said. “When I woke up this morning, I had no intention of doing this. I believe that if we, as Republicans, are gonna be the majority, we have to do the right things the right way. And we’re not doing that right now.” 

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More from The Hill on Scott: 

Scott, who was GOP freshmen class president for the 112th Congress, is in his seventh term in the House, representing Georgia’s deeply Republican 8th Congressional District in the south-central portion of the state. The district voted for former President Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. A native of Augusta, Ga., Scott, 53, was elected to the Georgia State House when he was 26, after graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in risk management and insurance. Scott’s district has two Air Force bases, Moody and Robins, so he’s been a pro-military and pro-defense spending advocate.

The outlet notes that Scott is anti-abortion and same-sex marriage, having called for federal bans. He also challenged the 2020 election after President Joe Biden defeated former President Trump. 

House GOP lawmakers are scheduled to hold a Speaker candidate forum. However, it is still being determined when an actual vote will happen since members from both parties are absent.