The latest on the House speaker race

Top row, from left: Republican representatives Gary Palmer, Mike Johnson, Tom Emmer, and Kevin Hern. Bottom row, from left: Pete Sessions, Byron Donalds, Jack Bergman and Austin Scott.

House Republicans ended Monday in a state of uncertainty, as some members expressed optimism there could be a new House speaker by tomorrow night, while others said they fear no candidate can get the 217 floor votes needed to win the gavel.

A number of House Republicans were still undecided on whom they will back as speaker as they headed into a forum where the candidates made their pitch over roughly two and a half hours.

Rep. Dan Meuser dropped out of the race Monday evening, leaving eight House Republicans still in the running.

How Republicans are reacting: Rep. Pete Sessions — one of the eight candidates — called the meeting “productive” and said it “really helped getting us prepared for tomorrow.”

As uncertainty looms over who will lead the chamber, one thing seems sure: Many members are tired of the chaos roiling the House GOP.

Rep. Dusty Johnson told CNN that his constituents “just can’t believe that we’re this bad” and said the “chaos has been absolutely inexcusable.”  

Other members told CNN that their constituents back home are angry about the dysfunction in Washington as the lawmakers expressed renewed fears that the chaos could cost them their House majority.

Rep. Vern Buchanan said his constituents are “very worked up” about the GOP leadership crisis and “they think all of us are incapable.” 

Although Rep. Don Bacon said he thinks the House would have a speaker Tuesday night, saying “people are so discouraged by what’s happened the last three weeks, that they want to come together,” some of his colleagues weren’t so sure.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul told CNN, “It’s going to be very difficult, but we have to get there.”

So what happens next? At 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the House GOP will vote for their speaker nominee.

With eight candidates in the running, members will cast a successive series of secret ballots, with the candidate who garners the fewest number of votes in each round dropped from the running.

The process will continue until there are only two candidates left or until one candidate receives a majority of the votes, whichever comes first.

Here a plurality of votes is not enough. The winning candidate will need 50% +1 of the conference, or a minimum of 113 votes. The conference vote is expected to take several hours.

There is no time or date scheduled for a floor vote. That will be determined by the speaker-designee. 

After roughly two and a half hours, the GOP House speaker candidate forum has ended. Members heard from the eight Republicans vying for the gavel.

Following the forum, Rep. Pete Sessions — one of the eight candidates — called the meeting “productive” and said it “really helped getting us prepared for tomorrow,” when the conference will vote for its third candidate to succeed Kevin McCarthy.

“Obviously, overwhelmingly, there’s a viewpoint that we do get that the American people are frustrated with the processes that we’ve gone through. I would say back to the American people that I think that these few weeks have given us a better chance to learn about each other,” Sessions said.

Sessions said he thinks the conference can decide on someone Tuesday.

“I think that we can get it done. And I think that the body spoke enough about the desire that we not leave here tomorrow until we have that answer,” he said. 

He added, “I think there’s only so many times you can go through this process, go to the floor, make a mistake, and I think that it’s made us more cognizant of the need to get things done.”

Another candidate, Rep. Kevin Hern said, “We had a great turnout — that was really awesome to see that — and they asked really good questions.”

Hern was bullish about his chances.

“Well I certainly do, or I wouldn’t be doing this,” he said when asked whether he believed he could win the gavel. “I didn’t get this to come in second or to lose.”

Rep. Jack Bergman did not say whether he had a path to win, but said the party would see in the morning. “But the point is, we’ll see, because we’re gonna start having a round of votes,” he said, adding, “when you’re the last person standing, you’re going to be the speaker-designee.” 

And Rep. Austin Scott, who served as the foil to now-former speaker-designee Jim Jordan in his bid, said he thought his presentation “went pretty good.”

“I feel like there are a lot of members in our conference that have what it would take to be the speaker of the House. I do not in any way, shape, form or fashion think I’m the only person in the Republican conference that has what it takes to be the speaker of the House. I told my colleagues if you want someone who’s honest, who’s got courage and a strong work ethic, I would love to be your speaker. That’s what I told them,” Scott said.

After roughly two and a half hours, the GOP House speaker candidate forum has wrapped. Members heard from the eight Republicans vying for the gavel.

Republicans are expected to hold a secret-ballot election Tuesday to select a nominee.

Some members expressed optimism there could be a new House speaker by tomorrow night, while others said they fear no candidate can get the 217 floor votes needed to win the gavel.

Gaetz speaks with reporters on Monday, October 23.

Rep. Matt Gaetz said he believes the House GOP “might” have a speaker Tuesday night. 

Gaetz, who led the push to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, also said that he was “heartened” by the candidates who bought into advancing single-subject spending bills “rather than linking disparate issues like Ukraine funding and Israel funding together,” praising the plans of both Kevin Hern and Mike Johnson.

He also said there was a “unifying” moment when he asked which of the candidates would “support the prompt full release of the January 6 tapes to the public, and every single one of the candidates said they would do that,” he said. “So if nothing else, this process will bring about that outcome that we were not able to obtain from the prior speaker.”

House Republicans are concerned that none of the declared speaker candidates will be able to get the requisite 217 votes on the House floor.   

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul told CNN, “It’s going to be very difficult, but we have to get there.”

And Rep. Vern Buchanan warned that if the eventual nominee can’t get to 217 votes on the floor, the conference may find itself in the undesirable position of having to work with Democrats.

A lot of members “don’t want to work with Democrats, but it might end up to be a point where that’s the only way. We’ve got to get the government open. People are very angry, upset,” the Florida Republican said.

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said “probably, not immediately” when asked whether he believed any of the candidates can reach the requisite votes on the floor. 

Rep. Dusty Johnson told CNN that his constituents “just can’t believe that we’re this bad” and said the “chaos has been absolutely inexcusable.”  

Pressed on the challenge of securing 217 votes, the South Dakota Republican said of the eight candidates, “I think at least half of them could get there. The other half might struggle a little bit. We’re going to have to figure out how to get our act together. Big boys and big girls have got to quit making excuses and we’ve got to just go get it done.”

Bacon speaks with reporters on Monday, October 23.

Rep. Don Bacon said he’s confident that there will be a new House speaker Tuesday night and that the conference should support “a majority of the majority.”

“I think people are so discouraged by what’s happened the last three weeks, that they want to come together. I think we have a great team in there right now. They’re making some great cases, and I think we’ll have a speaker tomorrow night. I’m hopeful for that,” the Nebraska Republican said.

Though Bacon would not say who he would support directly, he praised Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

Bacon had a message for those members who set the process in motion by voting to vacate the chair, which ended the speakership of Kevin McCarthy.

“I hope everybody learned a lesson. When you’re five people or eight people and you undercut the majority, there’s a price to pay. And that’s what happened last week,” he said.

Bacon also addressed the threatening calls that he and his family have received. Several Republicans who opposed Rep. Jim Jordan’s speakership bid said they are experiencing angry calls, menacing messages and even death threats since casting their votes.

“The bullying and the threat-making, the harassment, that’s not OK,” he said. “As a Republican I reject it. And if you want to bully and harass myself, it ain’t gonna work, right? So hopefully they figured that out.”

A number of House Republicans were still undecided on whom they will back as speaker as they headed into a forum where the candidates will make their pitch.

There is also disagreement about whether members will automatically fall in line behind whichever candidate gets the most votes, foreshadowing that the same divisions that have trapped the House GOP in this crisis are not showing any signs of letting up. 

House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, who dropped out of the race Friday after a majority of the conference voted against him on a secret ballot, told CNN’s Manu Raju, “I’m for the Republican.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who also had a failed speakership bid, told CNN he had spoken to all the candidates but was not ready to endorse. 

“I’m going to hear the forum right now,” Scalise said. 

A number of the New York freshmen Republicans who were part of the opposition against Jordan told CNN they were not ready to endorse a candidate or announce who they are endorsing.

GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito told CNN of the candidates, “I’m looking forward to hearing from them tonight.”

“I haven’t said who I’m supporting yet,” GOP Rep. Nick LaLota told CNN.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia told CNN she hasn’t endorsed a candidate and when asked if there was anyone she liked she said, “No.”

GOP Rep. Mario Diaz Balart, who has endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds, said he could support any of the eight candidates.

“Do I have my preference? Yes. Could I support any of them? Absolutely,” he told CNN. “What I want to do is support whoever wins the election.”

That theory doesn’t work for everyone, though. GOP Rep. Chip Roy, who has also endorsed Donalds, said he wouldn’t necessarily support the conference nominee.

Meuser tells reporters he is out of the race for House speaker on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Monday, October 23.

After giving his speech at tonight’s candidate forum, Rep. Dan Meuser dropped out of the speaker’s race, per members in the room.

The Pennsylvania Republican then got a standing ovation, and members said it was an honorable move. 

Eight other Republicans are still in the running. 

Meuser, who dropped out of the speaker’s race for other “commitments,” warned that the GOP dysfunction could cost the party the House and said that Trump supported his decision to withdraw.

Asked by CNN’s Manu Raju how concerned he is that the leadership crisis will cost Republicans the majority, he said, “if it keeps up any longer I think it will. We have time to correct it — we’ve got to get to work.” 

“I felt that it was in the best interest in the end,” he said of his decision to drop out. “I came in late, I have other commitments that I want to adhere to. Largely, leading President Trump’s campaign in Pennsylvania. We have great candidates, and I wrote up a plan of how to improve the speaker’s office making it a members-first office, which in the end is a people’s-first office — and a few of the candidates up there have adopted some of my ideas.”

Meuser said Trump supported his decision to withdraw from the race, adding that he believes the GOP will get a strong speaker.

“We’ve got to have a fresh start. We’ve got to have respect for each other,” Meuser said.

The Pennsylvania Republican said he hasn’t decided whether he will endorse a candidate. “I have a couple of people in mind,” he said.

Republican House members told CNN that their constituents back home are angry about the dysfunction in Washington as the lawmakers expressed renewed fears that the chaos could cost them their House majority.

Rep. Vern Buchanan said his constituents are “very worked up” about the GOP leadership crisis and “they think all of us are incapable.” 

He said “it’s going to be tough” when asked whether he’s concerned it will cost Republicans the majority. “That’s a year away. Right now this week, we need to get back in business,” said Buchanan, who is backing fellow Florida Rep. Byron Donalds for the job.

“People are very angry and upset. I just got back from the district in Sarasota, Florida, and people are very worked up down there about that. They think all of us are incapable. We’ve got to stay here until we get it done,” he said.

Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky said the GOP leadership crisis “shows that we’re not functioning as a majority. And when you lose that you lose the ability to govern.”

And Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana said that while the situation illustrates the GOP is about “freedom,” she also said it shows that the institution is “broken.”

“I think it looks like we have freedom in our party and we want to hold our leadership accountable,” she said. “I think we need to just deliberate until we get a speaker because I think it’s important for us to govern.”

Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said he’s supporting GOP Rep. Byron Donalds for speaker but demurred when asked whether he’d support any of the candidates who are vying for the gavel.

“We’ll see. I didn’t sign the pledge thing that has gone around,” he said, referring to an effort put forward by Rep. Mike Flood pledging to back on the floor whoever the GOP elects as nominee. “I think we need to focus on making sure it’s someone (who’s) going to lead this party in the right direction. We’ll get in here, we’ll hear from all nine. … There’s a number of those guys that I can support on the floor.”

When asked whether Republicans should unite in the room before coming to the floor for a final vote, Roy said, “I think it’s kind of borne out that I had a point a couple of weeks ago that that might have been a good thing to do.”

But when pressed on whether he thought there was anyone who could get the necessary 217 votes on the floor, he said, “Well, we need to get in there and do our best to try.”

Donalds speaks with reporters on Monday, October 23.

Speaker candidate Byron Donalds said that “my pitch is very simple” to his conference.

“This is going to be a process where it’s member-driven, not speaker-driven. We need to get back to work, secure our border, fund our government responsibly and hold this administration accountable. And, last but not least, our members, we got to be focused on purpose and mission. That’s it.”

The Florida Republican said he thinks former President Donald Trump will be watching the process and that he is “going to be happy” with the result.

“I spoke to the president. I think the president is going to watch us through our process. I think he’s going to be happy with who’s going be the next speaker of the House,” Donalds said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Flood said all nine members running for speaker have signed his unity pledge that they will support the conference’s eventual nominee on the floor.

Gimenez speaks with CNN's Manu Raju on Monday, October 23.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez told CNN’s Manu Raju he believes fellow Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, whom he is supporting as speaker, “can unite us,” but said he is willing to back whoever ends up as the nominee. 

“I have nothing against any of the other people,” Gimenez said when asked whether he would be open to voting for any of the other eight candidates.

Gimenez previously described himself as “only Kevin,” referring to ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“If he comes back on the ballot, I’ll still be with Kevin, but he’s not going to be on the ballot, so … I’ll back the nominee,” Gimenez said

Garcia speaks with CNN's Manu Raju on Monday, October 23.

GOP Rep. Mike Garcia said the impasse in the House is “dilutive” to the Republican Party’s efforts to keep its majority in the chamber next year.

“It’s not positive, it’s dilutive to our efforts, obviously, in keeping the majority,” the California Republican told CNN’s Manu Raju. He added that “if we can get the seat filled, if we can get whoever it is to put the trains back on the rails again” and start getting appropriations bills passed and avoid a government shutdown, “then we recover from it.”

Garcia also said he’s hearing from his constituents that “they want to have a speaker of the House,” saying, “both sides of the aisle frankly just want us to finish this process.”

Garcia said he is supporting GOP Whip Tom Emmer now, but ultimately, he plans to support whoever wins the nomination.

“The largest plurality of folks at least is recognizing we have to get someone across the goal line. I do think there’s an appetite for a compromise candidate at this point,” he said.

Garcia added, “We’re in a blizzard of crises right now, and to not have a meaningful check and balance on this administration is very dangerous.”

Emmer arrives to a House Republican caucus meeting at the US Capitol on October 13, in Washington, DC.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer touted his “strong working relationship” with former President Donald Trump on social media Monday, as Emmer works to tamp down potential problems from the MAGA faction of the GOP in his quest for the speakership.

“Thank you, Mr. President,” Emmer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside a video of Trump saying he’s “always” gotten along with Emmer. “If my colleagues elect me Speaker of the House, I look forward to continuing our strong working relationship.”

Emmer also spoke to Trump by phone over the weekend, as CNN previously reported.

Trump said Monday he’s staying out of the speaker’s fight for now. Some of his former and current advisers, however, have been openly critical of Emmer.

Rep. Kevin Hern leaves a House Republican caucus meeting at the Longworth House Office Building on October 13, 2023 in Washington, DC.

House speaker candidate Kevin Hern said that he spoke with Donald Trump and that the former president indicated he was not planning to endorse any of the nine declared Republican candidates at this stage.  

“He just wanted to know what was going on in the race. Obviously, nine people getting in the race. He knew some of us at different degrees and levels,” Hern told CNN’s Manu Raju. “I think he’s going to sit this one out.”

Hern added: “So I think when you look at this now, he’s gonna let this play out. It’s gonna happen pretty quickly. Tomorrow, so let’s see where it goes.”

The Oklahoma Republican also said that he and other candidates in the race believe the conference should hold a private roll call vote ahead of going to the House floor to test whether the GOP nominee has 217 votes to be elected. That would avoid the spectacle on the floor that derailed Jim Jordan’s bid. 

And when asked if he regretted his vote to certify the 2020 election, Hern said: “I don’t.” 

He also reiterated his skepticism over aid for Ukraine and threw cold water on keeping the government open through a short-term spending bill. 

“We certainly know in the House and I would argue in the entire Congress Ukraine aid is controversial at times and really would just want to know where the money’s gonna be spent and what the strategy is the mission is with the money. We do not need to bog down Israel aid in that debate right now,” he said.

Former President Donald Trump arrives to signs papers to be on the 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot at the New Hampshire Statehouse, on Monday in Concord, New Hampshire.

Former President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he spoke to House Majority Whip Tom Emmer over the weekend but said he has no plans as of now to get involved on behalf of any of the GOP members vying to become House speaker. 

Asked specifically about his views on Emmer’s candidacy given the Majority Whip hasn’t necessarily been “his biggest fan” in the past, Trump told reporters, “Well I think he’s my biggest fan now because he called me [Saturday] and he told me ‘I’m your biggest fan.’” 

The former president added that in addition to Emmer, he’s also spoken with many of the other House Republicans who are running for speaker. He also praised Rep. Jim Jordan, who despite Trump’s public endorsement, lost a series of bruising votes on the House floor last week in his attempt to take over as leader. 

Trump also joked that the only person who could guarantee success in the fight to become speaker is Jesus, but added he thinks House Republicans will find a solution soon. 

Republican members are returning Monday from the weekend break and will hold a 6:30 p.m. ET closed-door conference meeting in the Longworth House Office Building south of the US Capitol.

During the meeting, members will hear speeches from each of the nine declared Republican candidates vying for the speaker’s gavel. 

This is how it is expected to play out: Each of the candidates will have two minutes for a speech laying out their platform. Members will then have one minute each to ask a question and candidates will have 30 seconds to respond. 

It is hard to estimate when the forum will end, but likely around 9:30 or 10 p.m. ET, according to aides. Several members told CNN they are waiting to make an endorsement until after they hear from each of the nine candidates.

The nine declared Republican candidates are: 

Then on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. ET, the House GOP will vote for their speaker nominee.

With multiple candidates currently in the running, members will cast a successive series of secret ballots, with the candidate who garners the fewest number of votes in each round dropped from the running.

The process will continue until 1.) there are only two candidates left. or 2.) until one candidate receives a majority of the conferences’ votes, whichever comes first.

Here a plurality of votes is not enough. The winning candidate will need 50% +1 of the conference or a minimum of 113 votes. The conference vote is expected to take several hours as there will be several rounds of votes. 

As of this writing, there is no time or date scheduled for a floor vote. That will be determined by the speaker-designee. 

Rep. Pete Sessions during the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on Thursday, March 9.

Rep. Pete Sessions, a candidate for House speaker, outlined his pitch to the Republican conference ahead of this evening’s closed-door GOP meeting, saying that he spoke with former President Donald Trump about his bid and that he doesn’t believe the votes are there to tie Ukraine aid to Israel funding.

Sessions, who voted against certifying Pennsylvania and Arizona on January 6, 2021, also told CNN “absolutely not” when asked if he regretted his vote.  

On funding for Ukraine and Israel, Sessions said that while he’s a supporter of both he doesn’t believe there are necessarily the votes from the conference to support tying money for Ukraine to Israel funding. 

Sessions argued he is the right man for the job by pointing to his former stint as chair of the Republican campaign arm when the party won large majorities and his time as chair of the House Rules Committee. 

“Our party needs to find a way to work together, we need to find a way to take the two or three or four sides bring them in give them the authority and the responsibility. This is an issue that is more complex because the problems are more complex. But if we work together, we can find those common denominators. Secondly, I have a demonstrating background of working together also at the Rules Committee and Republican leadership for 10 years. Never lost a vote on a rule,” he said. 

On government funding, he said it’s important for the House to act quickly and he also said that he believes they need to have a speaker elected to run the House by the end of the week. 

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer spoke with former President Donald Trump by phone over the weekend, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN, as the Minnesota Republican works to win over his right flank in order to secure the speakership. 

Some in Trump’s orbit have been openly critical of Emmer, in part because he voted to certify the 2020 election. It’s unclear if Trump will get involved this time around or if he will choose to stay neutral after his endorsed speaker candidate, Rep. Jim Jordan, came up short. 

Rep. Matt Gaetz, who hasn’t endorsed anyone in this round but has said positive things about Emmer, claimed on his podcast that Emmer’s conversation with Trump went well. 

According to a source close to Trump, however, the former president was not happy that the details of his call with Emmer leaked.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, meanwhile, announced he was endorsing Emmer, delivering an early boost for his candidacy.

Rep. Kevin Hern leaves a closed-door House Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol on October 20, in Washington, DC.

Rep. Kevin Hern, a candidate for House speaker, told CNN that he has spent the last several days talking to 185 members and said his pitch is to “move forward” and not look back if he were to win the gavel, saying he wouldn’t take any retribution against the eight GOP members who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy earlier this month. 

Hern also told CNN he would not put President Joe Biden’s supplemental on the floor as it is written and instead would prioritize aid to Israel and only put Ukraine aid on the floor if the administration can specify where all the money is going. Hern said the Biden administration has so far had a “good start” on explaining that the funding they are asking for is to replenish US weapons systems, but he said he wants more and the rest of the conference will insist on it. 

Hern said he wants members briefed in a classified setting on what the strategy is for Ukraine “because we’re going to continue to send hundreds of billions of dollars with no end in sight.”

On government spending, Hern plans to try and pass as many of the outstanding appropriations bills as possible before November 17, but he acknowledged another short-term spending bill is probably necessary given the time constraint and the fact that whoever gets the speaker’s gavel will have mere weeks to work with the Senate to keep the government open. He argued that Republicans cannot allow an automatic, 1% cut to go into effect in April. 

“We are going to do our work first and then we’ll look at a CR as we get closer,” Hern said of the immediate spending plan. 

Hern warned the House will have to “work more days.”

Asked how he would deal with the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, Hern said “You stay engaged with them. When you are a small majority, it’s a challenge.” 

Hern said he would “certainly listen to the conference” on whether he would get rid of the ability for just one member to bring a motion to vacate to the floor.