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.”
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.