Headline RoundupOctober 5th, 2023

Who Will Be the Next Speaker of the House?

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Who will replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House?

Details: With the current layout of Congress, there are two main pathways to win the speakership. The candidate will either have to win over nearly every House Republican or form a bipartisan coalition. In January, McCarthy chose the first option, and it took him 15 rounds of voting to finally achieve sufficient support from House Republicans to win the gavel. Despite his concessions to the more conservative members of his party, he was still ousted by a motion to vacate launched by a member of his party.

Candidates: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the House majority leader, are both confirmed candidates for House Speaker. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who led the effort to oust McCarthy, has reportedly signaled support for Scalise. Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) is reportedly also voicing interest in the position.

Trump? Former president and 2024 GOP frontrunner Donald Trump is showing up on lists of potential speakers. While it’s never happened, the House Speaker does not technically have to be a member of Congress. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said Trump is “The only candidate for Speaker I am currently supporting.” But under House Republicans’ rules, Trump is barred from holding a leadership position on account of him facing indictments that could result in prison sentences of two or more years.

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