Eight Republican Speaker Candidates vie for Nomination

House Republicans held a closed-door forum Monday night as the party attempts to select a House Speaker candidate that can unite the party. 

Details: The forum started with nine candidates, but Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) soon withdrew his nomination, telling reporters he had “made some commitments actually to President Trump to help lead his campaign in Pennsylvania.” The eight remaining candidates made their pitches to the party. The Hill (Center bias) quoted Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) expressing optimism that progress was made in the meeting, stating, “The morale of the room seems higher. The hope that we do it this week seems higher than previous weeks. There seems to be some sense of compromise in the room. A little less insistence it has to be their personal win. Those are positive signs.” House Republicans will hold closed-door votes Tuesday to decide the new party nominee.

For Context: Earlier this month, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted from the position of House Speaker after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) initiated a vote to vacate that succeeded with eight Republican votes and the full support of House Democrats. In the weeks since, Republicans have unsuccessfully elevated two candidates for the Speakership, first Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), then Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). 

How the Media Covered It: The forum was covered mildly across the spectrum. Some left-rated outlets, including the Washington Post (Lean Left bias) and the Associated Press (Lean Left bias), framed coverage around former President Donald Trump’s influence on the vote.