Lieutenant, insider, or President Trump?U.S. House of Representatives speaker race

Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise became the first two Republicans to join the race to replace Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted as Speaker of the House on Tuesday in an unprecedented move.

Other Republicans may also launch bids ahead of next Tuesday’s speaker candidate forum, with votes likely to be held the next day.

The next chairperson can technically be anyone in the United States.

In fact, Donald Trump has hinted that he will take on the job in the short term.

Below is a brief summary of potential candidates.

Once a thorn in the side of the party, Mr. Jordan is now one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress.

The firebrand from Ohio, currently serving his ninth term, is chairman of the influential House Judiciary Committee and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.

He has used that perch to lead an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and other aggressive investigations into his administration.

But Mr. Jordan, 59, hasn’t always been in Washington’s inner sanctum.

A staunch conservative, he has drawn the ire of Republicans in the past with a penchant for bomb-throwing rhetoric and divisive tactics.

In 2015, he was the founding chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, a subversive hard-line group that was labeled a “legislative terrorist” by the former Republican Party chair.

But during the Trump administration, Jordan rose to prominence among Republican voters as one of the then-president’s most ardent defenders.

He previously ran for Congress in 2018 and was nominated earlier this year, but he vigorously defended McCarthy both in January and on Tuesday.

“We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history,” Jordan said in a formal letter to colleagues Wednesday asking for their support.

“We can come together to focus on changes that improve our country and provide real solutions. But whatever we do, we must do it together as a conference. ”

His candidacy has already received support from several prominent conservatives, with Matt Gaetz, the rebel who led the coup against McCarthy, writing, “My mentor Jim Jordan would be great!” There is.

However, given Mr. Jordan’s past antics, he may struggle to gain support from centrist Republicans.

And if he needs Democratic support, he probably won’t get any. The party deplores his pro-Trump and anti-Biden stance, and he has already indicated he is “opposed” to further U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Mr. Scalise, 57, has served as Mr. McCarthy’s No. 2 since 2019, and his desire for the top job has long been an open secret in Washington.

He has represented a suburban Louisiana district in the House of Representatives since 2008 and is best known for surviving an assassination attempt in June 2017.

He was seriously injured in the hip by an anti-Trump extremist who opened fire on Republican lawmakers practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Benefit Game.

Mr. Scalise returned to Congress to a standing ovation after more than three months of rehabilitation. He remains a strong supporter of gun rights.

In August, Scalise said he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare but treatable blood cancer.

“While the task before us is not without its challenges, I believe in this conference and our ability to come together and achieve great results,” he said in announcing his candidacy Wednesday. stated in the letter.

As a member of the leadership, Mr. Scalise has more sophisticated political management than Mr. Jordan, but faces similar struggles in gaining support.

Kevin Hahn, 61, is not as well-known as Jordan or Scalise, but he is said to be considering a run for Congress.

Hahn is a relative newcomer, having first been elected to the House of Representatives from Oklahoma in 2018.

He chairs the Republican Study Committee, a group that has been highly influential in advancing a conservative legislative agenda.

Hahn was born on an Air Force base in Missouri and was a former aerospace engineer and McDonald’s franchisee who owned 24 of the fast-food chain’s restaurants in Oklahoma, according to his website.

Hardliners in the House Freedom Caucus are reportedly encouraging him to run for the leadership post, but the path to winning the 218 votes needed to become speaker remains unclear.

Holding the speaker’s gavel instantly makes him one of the most powerful people in Washington and second in line for presidential succession.

But the U.S. Constitution says little about who can hold that post, other than that the House of Representatives “shall appoint.” [sic] Their speakers.”

Historians and legal experts have widely argued that America’s founders likely assumed that the person who would hold the office would be chosen from among the elected officials.

And although all previous speakers were members of the House of Representatives from the majority party, that didn’t stop several other names from being put forward in the speaker’s race.

In 2015, President Barack Obama told an audience, “Kanye is [West] I’m thinking of running for Speaker of the House. That wasn’t strange. ”

As in January, Trump’s name has been mentioned in the current Republican House race, with support from far-right Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and others.

The former president initially appeared to decline the offer, saying he was focused on next year’s presidential election.

But on Thursday’s Truth Social platform, he vowed to “do whatever it takes to help.”

He added in an interview with Fox News that he would accept the role in the short term to serve as a “unifier” until Republicans find a long-term option.

US media reported that he may visit the Capitol for the first time since before the January 6 attack to address House Republicans during a candidate debate on Tuesday.

Fanciful reservations aside, Mr. Trump has too many enemies in Washington and is almost certain not to win the votes to become speaker.

Incidentally, the House Republican Conference’s own rules state that those charged with felonies cannot serve in leadership positions.

Following Tuesday’s vote to remove McCarthy from office. Patrick McHenry He was appointed to hold the gavel on an interim basis.

Mr. McHenry, 47, has served in the North Carolina State Assembly since 2005 and currently chairs the House Financial Services Committee.

The bow-tie-wearing congressman is Mr. McCarthy’s most loyal supporter and a key deal-maker in the debt ceiling showdown between House Republicans and the White House.

Two members of the Republican leadership – Tom Emmer and Elise Stefanik – They said they would not run for chairman.

However, as the third- and fourth-highest-ranking members of the party, both could emerge as potential candidates if the campaign drags on.

But there is now very real dissatisfaction within the House Republican conference, with many members calling for reform.

Florida Congressman Carlos Jimenez said he and other moderate lawmakers won’t vote for a speaker who doesn’t commit to raising the bar to remove him from power.

Under Mr. McCarthy, only Mr. Gaetz could object, and with support from Democrats, he was removed from the chair.

“We cannot continue to be governed like this,” Jimenez told CNN on Tuesday.