A more than two-hour House GOP candidate forum saw Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana explaining to the conference Tuesday night why each is the best choice for the speakership, but some House Republicans still say it will be difficult for either candidate to get the support needed to win.
House Democrats held a similar candidate forum — which was less than an hour — to officially nominate their leader, Rep.Hakeem Jeffries, for speaker.
While the impetus on the GOP to find a new speaker escalated after the terrorist attack in Israel over the weekend, the conference remains divided over how it should proceed and who can get the 217 votes needed to lead it. Until a new speaker is selected, the House can’t pass legislation to address the crisis.
Our live coverage has ended. Follow the latest news or read through the updates below.
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House GOP expected to debate rules change raising threshold to win nomination before going to floor
From CNN's Haley Talbot
House Republicans will gather behind closed doors at 10 a.m. tomorrow and are expected to debate and vote on a change to conference rules to raise the threshold to win the speakership nomination.
This is expected to take place before they proceed with the speaker selection process.
If adopted, the proposal would raise the threshold to win the nomination from a simple majority of the conference, which is 111 members, to a majority of the House — currently 217 with vacancies — before a House floor vote, per the amendment obtained by CNN.
Here’s how it would work: As detailed in the amendment, once a candidate gets a majority of the support from the conference, members vote by secret ballot for two rounds to try to secure the needed 217 votes. If that hasn’t happened, the third round is a manual roll call. If a candidate doesn’t get 217 after five rounds of voting, then new candidates (and candidates who have not dropped out) can emerge and be nominated by members.
The idea is to make sure that the internal squabbling happens out of public view, so the candidate can emerge from the conference with enough votes to be elected speaker on the first floor ballot. If successful, this could avoid a protracted floor fight like the one that occurred when Rep. Kevin McCarthy won the gavel after 15 ballots in January.
That means the candidate could only afford to lose four GOP votes before winning the conference nomination.
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Gaetz says he wouldn’t seek to oust Scalise, Jordan if they push short-term spending bill to avoid shutdown
From CNN's Manu Raju and Morgan Rimmer
Rep. Matt Gaetz, who led the charge to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy after McCarthy brought a short-term government spending bill to the floor in September, indicated that he won’t make the same move against either candidate for speaker if one were to push for a stopgap bill.
The Florida Republican said he had not made a decision yet on whether he would back Jim Jordan or Steve Scalise, saying he would “pray on it.”
Later, he told more reporters, “I’m very confident that both of these men would represent an upgrade over Speaker McCarthy, so I’m not concerned that the things that really imperiled his speakership would be baggage carried by either a Speaker Jordan or a Speaker Scalise.”
While he said he hasn’t decided whom he will vote for in tomorrow’s secret ballot for the GOP nomination, Gaetz said that “whichever of these great men get a majority of the conference, I’ll be really proud to vote for them on the floor.”
Gaetz also indicated that he’d be open to negotiating on changing the rules so that more than one member is needed to try to oust the speaker.
“I think that the motion to vacate is negotiable, but it’s negotiable for things that are going to make representatives in Washington more responsive,” he said, pointing to reforms that Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna has advocated.
“What I want are the Ro Khanna reforms that stop members of Congress from trading stocks, that stop members of Congress from becoming lobbyists or registered foreign agents, and that limit the ability of PACs and special interests to buy off members of Congress,” he said.
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Key bloc of New York GOP congressmen remains undecided on speakers race
From CNN's Sam Fossum
A critical bloc of House GOP members from New York are still undecided on whom they will ultimately support for speaker, New York freshman Rep. Nick LaLota told CNN.
Asked whether he heard enough to support a candidate, LaLota demurred: “I’m not there yet. I think I need to hear a little more to understand their visions on avoiding a government shutdown and things along that nature.”
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Republicans and Democrats concluded their candidate forums for House Speaker. Here's the latest
CNN Staff
House Republicans wrapped up their candidate forum Tuesday night where lawmakers heard from their two current options to become speaker: GOP Reps. Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise. The two men got the opportunity to pitch themselves to their fellow party members ahead of a secret ballot vote scheduled for Wednesday in an attempt to convince the conference they can gather the 217 votes needed to win the gavel during a floor vote — a goal neither individual seemed to achieve.
Meanwhile, House Democrats finished up their own candidate forum in less than hour, nominating their leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
Here’s the latest:
Candidates outline plans to avoid government shutdown: The two GOP candidates during the forum outlined their plans to avoid a looming government shutdown with funding from a stopgap bill passed at the end of last month set to run out November 17. Jordan’s plan called for a a long-term, stopgap spending bill that would cut spending levels by 1% to give lawmakers more time to pass individual spending bills. Scalise didn’t go as far in suggesting such a measure, but told members he wants to pass all 12 appropriation bills and force negotiations with the Senate.
McCarthy to support eventual nominee: Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who left the forum as it was just beginning, said he will support whichever candidate for speaker gets his conference’s support. He also urged his supporters not to nominate him, telling CNN’s Manu Raju: “There are two people running in there. I’m not one of them.”
Democrats looking for bipartisan path forward: Former House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer also argued that they need a new speaker so that the House can start moving on aid for Israel and criticized Republicans for creating a rule that allows one member to move to vacate the speakership. Jeffries, after being nominated at the Democratic forum, in a statement lamented the “MAGA Republican majority” causing “chaos and dysfunction” and said it is “time to get back to the business of the American people.”
Mace draws attention: Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina wore a t-shirt emblazoned with a large, red “scarlet A” because she was “demonized for my vote and for my voice.” This was in reference to her being one of the eight Republicans who voted out Kevin McCarthy as speaker last week.
Republicans not confident on speaker vote: House Republican Rep. David Valadao said he thinks either candidate will “struggle” to get the necessary votes from their party to win a nomination and GOP Rep. Mike Garcia said it was “50/50” on whether they would be able to elect a speaker on Wednesday.
Conflict in Israel looms large: The pressure for House Republicans to find consensus on a candidate to pass urgent support for an Israel at war with Hamas weighed heavy on the conversation following the two candidate forums. The only way to move more funding for Israel is to elect a new speaker, with Rep. Patrick McHenry, the temporary speaker, making clear to his colleagues that even a resolution vowing support for Israel isn’t within his limited powers. Both parties also commented on the possibility of tying aid for Israel with aid to Ukraine, a move Democrats have proposed and which Republicans have opposed.
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Speaker candidates outline visions to avoid shutdown, but House GOP still divided over choices
From CNN's Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer, Haley Talbot and Manu Raju
The House GOP’s two candidates for speaker on Tuesday detailed their plans for avoiding a government shutdown — a key issue for members, and one that sank Kevin McCarthy’s speakership.
During a closed-door meeting, Rep. Jim Jordan told members he wants a long-term, stopgap spending bill that would cut spending levels by 1% to give lawmakers more time to pass individual spending bills, according to multiple lawmakers in the room.
Rep. Don Bacon, a key moderate Republican, said he is leaning toward House Majority Leader Steve Scalise but was impressed by how “pragmatic” Jordan’s pitch was.
“Because of his past, I think we expected to hear the Freedom Caucus message — it was not that. It was very pragmatic,” Bacon said.
Scalise, however, didn’t go as far in suggesting the need for a stopgap bill but told members he wants to pass all 12 appropriation bills and force negotiations with the Senate.
“I think we’re voting not just for a speaker, but for the speaker’s plan to get us through the next 75 days. The appropriations cycle. And the biggest difference between Scalise and Jordan is Jordan has a plan to avoid a shutdown. And it wasn’t clear to me that Scalise does,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, who is backing Jordan.
Both Jordan and Scalise committed to supporting each other if they become the nominee, lawmakers said. And both committed to continuing the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, according to lawmakers in the room.
But Republicans leaving the candidate forum expressed skepticism that they would be able to quickly elect a new speaker.
“in case you haven’t noticed, we’re a pretty a divided conference right now. So I think this might take a little time to sort out,” said Rep. Kelly Armstrong.
Asked by a reporter what the chances are that there will be a new House speaker by tomorrow, Massie said, “I’d put it at 2%.”
And Rep. Ken Buck, one of the members who voted to oust McCarthy, said he isn’t “thrilled” with either choice and predicted someone else may come forward tomorrow, but wouldn’t predict who.
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GOP member presses Jordan and Scalise on what "promises" they've made to become speaker
From CNN's Melanie Zanona
During Tuesday night’s candidate forum, Rep. Kat Cammack pressed both Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan on what “promises” they made to members in their bid to become speaker, according to a source familiar.
Jordan said the only promise he made was to “fight for you all,” according to the source.
Scalise, however, didn’t answer the question, the source said.
It’s a pertinent question given that some of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s January side deals to become speaker became a factor in his detractors’ decision to oust him.
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House GOP member says both candidates will "struggle" to get necessary votes
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju
House Republican Rep. David Valadao will not say which candidate for speaker he will support, but warns that it will be difficult for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise or Rep. Jim Jordan to get the votes they need to win.
The California Republican noted that Jordan did speak to the conference about his plan to deal with government funding, but that he missed much of it.
Valadao said that both candidates sounded “open” to changing their rules so that more than one member is needed to call for the speaker to be ousted in the future.
He added that Scalise and Jordan both recognized they will have to compromise with the Senate on Ukraine aid.
“There was talk of Ukraine and it sounds like they all agree there is going to be some sort of compromise there,” he said
Valadao said he expects they will vote Wednesday on a new speaker, but noted that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy may still get some votes.
“He asked them not to nominate him, but I still think there are people who want to vote for him and people who would support him,” said Valadao.
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Scalise, following "great" candidate forum, won't say whether he can secure party's speaker nomination
From CNN's Clare Foran and Annie Grayer
Scalise talks to reporters as he leaves Republicans closed-door forum.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Following a “great” candidate forum, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise did not say whether he has the votes to secure the nomination for speaker tomorrow.
Scalise added that if he wins the speakership, he would look to pass a resolution supporting Israel on “day one.”
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Mace explains why she wore "Scarlet A" to conference meeting
From CNN's Annie Grayer and Jeremy Herb
Mace speaks to reporters outside a candidate forum with House Republicans on Tuesday, October 10.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, one of the eight Republicans who voted out Kevin McCarthy as speaker last week, said she wore a “scarlet A” on her shirt to Tuesday evening’s conference meeting after she was “demonized for my vote and for my voice.”
Mace said she is supporting House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan for speaker, adding she remained hopeful that Republicans would quickly get behind a candidate for speaker and vote on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ll have our conference vote tomorrow, and I hope that win, lose or draw that we all get behind one person so we can go to the floor in the afternoon and have that vote,” Mace said.
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Rep. Garcia: "It's 50/50 odds" if GOP can elect a speaker Wednesday
From CNN's Annie Grayer and Jeremy Herb
Rep. Mike Garcia, a California Republican, said it was “50/50” on whether House Republicans would be able to elect a speaker on Wednesday.
Garcia said questions about rules changes for electing a speaker — by requiring 217 votes in the conference before going to the floor for a vote — came up a “little bit” during Tuesday’s session.
Asked whether anyone could get 217, he said: “I think that’s a great question right now.”
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House Democrats' candidate forum ends with nomination of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as speaker nominee
From CNN's Kristin Wilson
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaks to reporters at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, October 03.
Craig Hudson/Sipa USA/AP/FILE
Democrats officially nominated House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as speaker in a candidate forum Tuesday evening.
House Democrats met for a little under an hour Tuesday for their candidate forum.
Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu, in a statement following the forum, also pushed for a bipartisan governing coalition.
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Top House Democrat attacks GOP decision to allow any one member to call for speaker's ouster
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Kristin Wilson
Rep. Steny Hoyer arrives at the Longworth House Office Building as the House Republicans hold a candidate forum on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Former House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer attacked the House GOP’s decision to adopt a rule that allowed any one member to call for the speaker to be ousted.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, while trying to win the gavel in January, agreed to rules that allow just one member to initiate a motion to vacate — significantly lowering the bar for voting on ousting the chamber’s leader. Some hardliners are insisting that rule stay in place and a key contingent of moderate Republicans are demanding it be changed.
Hoyer also argued that they need a new speaker so that the House can start moving on aid for Israel.
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House Democrats' candidate forum has begun
The candidate forum for House Democrats has begun.
The party is expected to nominate their leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker.
House Democrats are looking to keep a united front behind Jeffries and attendance strong for the coming speaker vote, creating a narrow margin of error for Republicans attempting to elect their candidate for the gavel.
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Jordan ally floats idea of making him majority leader if Scalise is speaker
From CNN's Melanie Zanona
GOP Rep. Dan Meuser, who is backing Jim Jordan for speaker, is proposing the idea of making Jordan the majority leader if the other speaker candidate, Rep. Steve Scalise, secures the gavel.
“We need some new faces, we need some new faces,” the Pennsylvania Republican told reporters.
Meuser said he’s brought the idea up with Jordan but declined to say whether the Ohio Republican is receptive, adding that Jordan is entirely focused on the speakership right now. He also committed to backing whoever the GOP nominee is on the House floor.
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McCarthy says he will vote for whichever candidate gets GOP's support
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Annie Grayer
Rep. Kevin McCarthy talks to reporters as House Republicans hold a closed-door forum to hear from the candidates for speaker of the House on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who left the GOP candidate forum just as it was beginning, said he will support whichever candidate for speaker gets the Republican conference’s support.
Asked who he would vote for, McCarthy said “whoever comes out of there,” as he stood outside of the party’s candidate forum.
The California Republican said he believed the House should not begin voting on a speaker until a GOP candidate has the votes needed to win.
“I know a lot of them want to nominate me, I told them ‘please do not nominate me,’” McCarthy said. He noted: “I haven’t endorsed anyone. I’ll let the conference decide.”
“There are two people running in there. I’m not one of them,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju.
McCarthy said he only expected two members to be nominated, and how they deal with the eight Republicans who voted to oust him will determine if House Republicans are able to govern going forward.
Asked whether they could vote on a speaker this week, McCarthy said, “I expect there to be a vote and elect a new speaker this week.”
He emphasized they need to choose a new speaker quickly so that the House can start moving to help Israel.
“The talk today is we have a job in there, but more importantly, we have a job to do something right now. There is a crisis in the world, there is a void of leadership, we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy noted that he would not support linking aid to Israel to funding for Ukraine.CNN reported on Monday that the Biden administration and congressional Democrats were weighing tying legislation for additional military support for Israel with military assistance for Ukraine, setting up a showdown with congressional Republicans opposed to helping Ukraine.
“I don’t – to me, when you ask that question, you think it’s some kind of game to play. I think right now, Israel was just attacked, I would put Israel’s supplemental on the table, on the floor right now. If I was still speaker, I would have laid out the five plans, and we’d be voting today,” he said.
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Scalise says he is confident there will be a vote tomorrow to elect a new speaker
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise talks to members of the media as he arrives to a candidate forum with House Republicans.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, one of the candidates for speaker, told reporters as he entered the GOP candidate forum that he is confident they will begin voting tomorrow to elect a new speaker.
Scalise argued that they “need to get Congress back to work.”
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The GOP's House Speaker forum has begun
From CNN's Haley Talbot
Tonight’s candidate forum, which will allow those seeking the GOP nomination for Speaker to appeal to their party members, has begun.
Declared candidates will have five minutes to deliver opening remarks and then will answer questions from members, House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik said in a post on X. The candidates will then have two minutes for a closing statement, per Stefanik.
The forum is being held behind closed doors and members will not have their phones.
CNN expects at least two candidates, Reps. Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise, to give speeches.
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Jeffries calls on House GOP to unify around a speaker candidate so chamber can move aid package for Israel
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries talks to reporters on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
CNN
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries highlighted the need for the GOP to unify around a candidate for speaker in order to get the chamber up and running again.
Jeffries, who is expected to be the Democratic nominee for speaker, emphasized the importance of sending aid to Israel, condemning the attacks by Hamas and calling America’s ties to Israel “unbreakable. He told reporters that the question of tying Israel aid to funding for Ukraine is “up for discussion.”
“We await the administration presenting to us its request, and then we’ll take it from there,” Jeffries said.
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McCarthy urges GOP not to nominate him again, won't endorse Jordan or Scalise
By CNN's Haley Talbot
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leaves his offices on Tuesday.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy this afternoon urged his supporters in the conference not to nominate him for speaker and declined to endorse either candidate formally in the race.
McCarthy did not endorse either Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio or Steve Scalise of Louisiana for the role. “From the position I am in today, let the conference make that decision. I shouldn’t put my thumb on the scale,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy also said that Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry should be able to act as acting speaker to ensure continuity of government.
“There is an urgency, but we have a speaker pro tempore. … Patrick McHenry is in; we should allow Patrick McHenry to actually have the role,” he said.
Remember: As speaker pro tempore, McHenry can only recess the House, adjourn the chamber and recognize speaker nominations.
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Rep. Scalise says House will get back to work tomorrow
From CNN's Lauren Fox
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise makes his way to a meeting with lawmakers on Tuesday.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
As uncertainty looms over who will be able to garner the support needed to become the next speaker of the House, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise vowed the chamber will get back to work tomorrow as he left a meeting with the Florida delegation.
Asked specifically how he’d prevent a government shutdown, the Louisiana Republican shouted from the elevator, “We’re going to get the House back to work tomorrow.”
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Speaker candidate Jim Jordan says he has a plan to avoid a government shutdown
From CNN's Manu Raju
House speaker candidate Jim Jordan said he has a plan he’ll present tonight to the GOP conference on avoiding a government shutdown. The House Judiciary Committee chairman separately wouldn’t say whether he would drop out if he doesn’t reach the 217 votes needed to win the gavel.
A key ask from moderate Republicans has been a clear plan forward on avoiding a shutdown.
When asked later by CNN whether he would drop out if he didn’t secure the requisite 217 votes, the Ohio Republican said: “I think we got to get 217 votes to go to the floor.”
Jordan also rejected the claim by some of fellow speaker candidate Steve Scalise’s allies that raising the threshold to 217 votes to be nominated for speaker would be changing the rules in the middle of an election.
“I’m saying the conference knows that we can’t go to the floor without 217. I think everyone agrees with that,” Jordan said.
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Jim Jordan just finished meeting with moderates ahead of tonight's speaker candidate forum
From CNN's Manu Raju and Annie Grayer
US Rep. Jim Jordan is followed by media members Tuesday on Capitol Hill.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Speaker candidate Jim Jordan left the meeting with moderates ahead of Tuesday night’s candidate forum and provided few details on the conversation.
“We’re just talking to my colleagues,” he said when asked about Kevin McCarthy refusing to rule out another bid at the speakership.
And Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a McCarthy ally who has been sharply critical of the eight Republicans who voted to oust the speaker, said he won’t vote for anyone until there’s a plan to deal with them and a path forward for the House.
“I want to see a plan on how to govern,” he said, adding: “To make sure that we can govern in a responsible mature and steady way. Just like what the people elected us to do. They didn’t elect me to go on television. The only reason I’m talking to you guys is because we need to exert pressure on folks.”
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McCarthy allies weigh nominating him for speaker, underscoring tension with Scalise
From CNN's Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer, Manu Raju
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy holds a news conference on Monday.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Some of Kevin McCarthy’s allies are discussing nominating him for speaker, multiple sources tell CNN, which could complicate and prolong their process for electing a new speaker given McCarthy faces long odds of securing the gavel.
Allies of McCarthy say they aren’t acting at the behest or direction of McCarthy. But some of them have said they will only vote for him until told otherwise. So far, McCarthy has refused to rule out a return to the speakership or thrown his support behind another candidate.
Some allies to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise see the maneuvering by McCarthy’s allies as designed to hobble Scalise’s bid for speaker, which has heightened tension between their camps.
McCarthy and Scalise have maintained a cordial working relationship over the years but have long been seen as potential rivals. Scalise considered challenging McCarthy for leader in 2018, and this year, McCarthy tapped his trusted allies Reps. Patrick McHenry and Garret Graves — not his top leadership deputies —to help him with his speaker’s bid in January, the debt ceiling crisis and the government funding deadline.
To secure the GOP’s nomination for speaker, a candidate needs to earn the support of 51% of the conference. But there’s a push to change the rules to raise the threshold to 217 Republicans — the number of votes expected to beneeded on the floor.
Scalise’s allies are opposed to such a proposal, which they argue would be changing their election rules at the 11th hour.
Proponents of the idea, which includes Jordan, argue they need to work out their differences behind closed doors before they head to the floor, in order to avoid another public display of dysfunction.
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Speaker candidate Rep. Jim Jordan signals House would give priority to Israel aid — not Ukraine
From CNN's Manu Raju
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan signaled that aid to Israel would come before advancing a package to help Ukraine in its war against Russia if he’s elected speaker.
Jordan, who is campaigning for speaker, has publicly opposed more aid to Ukraine. But in private, GOP sources say Jordan has been willing to consider Ukraine aid through the normal appropriations process — a more arduous task — but one that could help win support from Ukraine backers in the conference.
The White House and other Ukraine aid proponents want Congress to tie that to a forthcoming aid package for Israel — in order to bolster the chances of passage amid House GOP resistance to providing Ukraine with more aid.
But Jordan’s comments foreshadow the growing expectation that prospects for Ukraine aid would grow bleaker if he’s elected speaker.
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Analysis: McCarthy's fall and Trump's rise both show how the GOP is moving right
Analysis from Ronald Brownstein
President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House while Rep. Kevin McCarthy listens in 2019.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
When House Republicans elect a new speaker this week, the only question is not whether, but how far, they will move the party to the right.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, the two announced candidates, represent different strains of modern conservatism, with Jordan more unreservedly identifying as an acolyte and collaborator of former President Donald Trump, including in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. But both Scalise and Jordan present much more conservative alternatives to Kevin McCarthy, the ousted speaker who always appeared more focused on his personal ascent than any ideological mission.
It’s nearly certain that the GOP House leadership over the next few days will tilt further to the right, absent a Scalise-Jordan stalemate that causes a less ideological alternative to emerge – or a comeback from McCarthy, who refused to rule himself out in interviews Monday. A victory for either Scalise or Jordan would parallel and reinforce the movement underway in the Republican presidential race.
On that front, Trump has established himself as a dominant front-runner, while embracing an agenda and rhetoric arguably even more vitriolic and divisive than during his presidency, including a recent declaration that undocumented migrants were “poisoning the blood of our country” and a suggestion that the outgoing chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should be executed.
The speakership succession in the House and Trump restoration in the presidential race are both pushing the GOP in the same direction – toward a 2024 message and strategy focused overwhelmingly on the priorities and grievances of its base voters.
The combination of another Trump nomination and a House GOP leadership more firmly rooted in the right could help the party generate enormous turnout next year from its most ardent supporters. But analysts in both parties agree such an alignment would test the GOP’s ability to maintain support through Election Day from independent and swing voters who are now expressing the most receptivity to the party in years, amid their widespread disenchantment with President Joe Biden’s performance.
Here's what to expect from tonight's House speaker candidate forum
From CNN's Haley Talbot
House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik has announced the format for the candidate forum tonight beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Declared candidates will have five minutes to deliver opening remarks and then will answer questions from members, Stefanik said in a post on X. The candidates will then have two minutes for a closing statement, per Stefanik.
The forum will be held behind closed doors and members will not have their phones.
CNN expects at least two candidates, Reps. Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise, to give speeches.
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Interim speaker McHenry says the goal is to elect a new speaker by the end of the week
From CNN's Haley Talbot and Lauren Fox
House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry leaves a meeting at the Capitol on Monday.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Interim House Speaker Patrick McHenry said their goal is to elect a new speaker by the end of the week
“That’s the goal,” McHenry told CNN after opening the floor of the House, one of his limited duties as speaker pro tempore.
McHenry also offered assurances to Israel but his official powers are limited.
“They are in my prayers. If we need to act as a government we will,” he said when asked about what can be done to help Israel.
He did not answer when asked by CNN if he thinks Kevin McCarthy should be speaker again.
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Analysis: What does it mean for Americans that one chamber of Congress is in a state of paralysis?
From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf
A woman walks past the US Capitol on Tuesday.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Washington and Congress have their own, often impenetrable, languages. So it may be somewhat confusing to assess what it means that the office of the speaker of the House of Representatives is vacant.
So, what does it mean for Americans that one chamber of Congress is in a state of paralysis?
Here are some of the answers to a few key questions.
First off, what the heck is going on in Washington?
The House is without a speaker, the person who, according to the Constitution, is required to be its leader. That means the chamber is essentially paralyzed until it can settle on a new speaker.
For now, a placeholder, Rep. Patrick McHenry, is what’s referred to as “speaker pro tempore,” which means the North Carolina Republican can essentially keep the lights on but has no power to move legislation through the House.
Will this affect me?
That depends on a few things, including how long the House is frozen, but also who takes over as the next speaker and what kind of negotiating they will do with Democrats who control the Senate and the White House.
For as long as the House is trying to find a new speaker, it’s unable to do much of anything else.
What does Congress need to do?
Keep the government open. Temporary funding runs out on November 17 and a government shutdown, if one occurs, could affect every American. The next speaker will have to negotiate with the Senate and the White House to agree on spending that both Republicans in the House and Democrats in the Senate can stomach.
The House adopted a package of organizing rules back in January, which means some effects of this paralysis are muted. Lawmakers’ offices can continue to function, helping constituents with passports and other services. But if there is a national, regional or local emergency, Congress will be unable to respond for the time being. And any time it would have spent on legislation is now being spent on this internal Republican fight.
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Jordan expected to pitch spending deadline as part of candidacy
From CNN's Lauren Fox
US Rep. Jim Jordan walks to a House Republican Conference meeting on Monday.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Speaker candidate Jim Jordan is planning to pitch Republicans Tuesday night on his vision for how Republicans should handle the next spending showdown, a vexing question for any future GOP leader as the government runs out of funding on November 17.
According to a source familiar, Jordan is expected to tell his conference he wants a long-term spending plan that leverages a looming and automatic 1% spending cut that would go into effect next year if Congress is still operating under a stopgap spending bill.
Jordan is expected to tell members he wants to leverage that looming cut in the next round of spending negotiations and is also expected to pitch members that they should come together privately for a plan in conference before going to the floor to avoid any disunity.
Of course, that is all much easier to do in theory than execute in reality given that anything the House Republican conference would agree to amongst itself would face long odds in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Some background on the automatic spending cut: The legislation to raise the debt ceiling included a provision that would institute a 1% cut across the board if Congress did not pass all 12 of its individual appropriations bills. That means if any aspect of the government was operating under a stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution, which funds the government at current levels, it would be subject to an automatic cut beginning in April of 2024. The cuts would be outlined in January with them ultimately taking effect in April.
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Kevin McCarthy's speakership was the third shortest in US history
From CNN's Christopher Hickey, CNN
US Rep. Kevin McCarthy holds a news conference at the Capitol on Monday.
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
When Kevin McCarthy failed to keep his leadership post, his 269-day speakership became the shortest in more than 140 years.
The only two congressmen whose speakerships lasted fewer days than McCarthy’s are Michael Kerr – who died in office in 1876 – and Theodore Pomeroy – who served for only the last day of the 40th Congress, in 1869. The last two House speakers, Nancy Pelosi and Paul Ryan, served for 2,918 and 1,162 days by comparison, respectively.
In a historic move, the US House of Representatives voted last week to oust McCarthy as speaker. The House will now need to elect a new speaker, but there is no clear alternative who would have the support needed to win the gavel.
House Republicans are no closer toward coalescing around a speaker nominee after they gathered Monday for the first time since McCarthy’s ouster.
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Jim Jordan tries to draw contrast with Scalise
From CNN's Clare Foran
US Rep. Jim Jordan leaves a Republican conference meeting on Monday.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan is trying to draw a sharp contrast with his chief competitor for the speakership, arguing that he would be a more effective messenger for his party to the American public as he tries to win Republican holdouts ahead of this week’s pivotal vote. In an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju on Friday, Jordan made clear how he sees the race against House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
As Scalise courts GOP lawmakers privately, Jordan is making the case in public that he can serve as a key messenger for the party ahead of the 2024 election – pointing to former President Donald Trump’s endorsement and arguing that the next speaker needs to play a highly visible role in defending the Republican agenda.
Jordan told Raju, “I appreciate the president’s endorsement,” calling Trump the “leader of the party,” and saying, “I think he’s going to be our next president.”
The speaker’s race, he said, comes down to “who can unite the conference, who can unite conservative Republicans and our party around the country, and then who can go tell the country what we’re doing and why it’s important to them, to their family, to their business, to their community.”
However, Jordan is already facing questions over whether he is too conservative for more moderate members of the conference. Jordan has made a name for himself as a staunch Trump defender and a face of key House GOP investigations as chair of the powerful Judiciary Committee.
But the Ohio Republican made clear he’s working to win over the full ideological spectrum of the conference. “We’re focused also on, you know, the key thing is our colleagues and I’m talking with, you know, we’ve got from Freedom Caucus, to people in the middle, to committee chairs, to Jeff Van Drew, who was a Democrat four years ago, we got all kinds of across the board support and we’re just going to keep working.”
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Meet the candidates: Steve Scalise, a veteran of House GOP leadership, is hoping to be speaker
From CNN's Clare Foran
Rep. Steve Scalise listens during a news conference in the US Capitol in June 2022.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has risen through the ranks of leadership during his time in Congress. Now that Kevin McCarthy has been ousted from House speakership, the Louisiana Republican hopes to be elected to the post.
Scalise’s pitch: He wrote a letter to colleagues asking for their support in the speaker’s race, referring to a shooting in 2017 that left him seriously wounded, with a grueling, monthslong recovery process.
“I firmly believe this conference is a family. When I was shot in 2017, it was members of this conference who saved my life on that field,” he said. Scalise was shot by a gunman who opened fire as congressional Republicans were practicing for an annual charity baseball game.
“I love this country, and I believe we were sent here to come together and solve the immense challenges we face. As I face new challenges, I feel even more strongly about that today.”
Scalise’s record: Scalise was elected to Congress in 2008. In the position of House majority leader, he oversees the House floor and scheduled legislation for votes. Before he became majority leader, Scalise served as House GOP whip, a role focused on vote counting and ensuring support for key party priorities. He supported objections to electoral college results when Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win on January 6, 2021.
Scalise’s health: In August, Scalise announced that he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which he described as “a very treatable blood cancer.” In September, Scalise told reporters that in response to treatment, his cancer “has dropped dramatically.”
Criticism: In 2014, Scalise faced intense blowback for having given a speech in 2002 to a White supremacist group founded by former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. Scalise apologized and said in a statement that speaking to the group “was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold.”
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Meet the candidates: Trump ally Jim Jordan is running for House speaker
From CNN's Clare Foran
Rep. Jim Jordan arrives for a meeting with the Texas Republican House delegation on October 4, the morning after former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the position.
The Ohio congressman is known as a staunch ally of Donald Trump and gained the endorsement of the former president Friday.
Jordan’s pitch: He has made a pitch for unity to House Republicans, acknowledging the fractures within the conference following McCarthy’s exit. He has also downplayed concerns that he may be too conservative for some of the more moderate members of the GOP.
Jordan’s record in Congress: He has served in Congress since 2007. He is chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, has a longstanding reputation as a conservative agitator, and helped found the hardline House Freedom Caucus. Jordan is also the chair of the select subcommittee on the “weaponization” of the federal government. He supported objections to electoral college results when Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win on January 6, 2021.
Criticism: Democrats frequently criticize Jordan as a hyper-partisan Trump defender and have accused him of using his perch to shield the former president in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. As Jordan oversees key House GOP investigations, Democrats also point to the fact that he stonewalled in response to a subpoena for his testimony from the House select committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Allegations: CNN reported in 2020 that six former Ohio State University wrestlers said they were present when Jordan heard or responded to sexual misconduct complaints about team doctor Richard Strauss. Jordan has emphatically denied that he knew anything about Strauss’ abuse during his own years working at OSU, between 1987 and 1995.
CNN’s Haley Talbot, Annie Grayer and Curt Devine contributed to this report.
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House GOP conference remains deeply divided amid search for next speaker
From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Manu Raju, Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer and Lauren Fox
Rep. Steve Scalise, left, and Rep. Jim Jordan.
AP
House Republicans gathered for the first time since last week’s historic vote to oust Kevin McCarthy, but the two-hour session left them no closer toward coalescing around a speaker nominee and a path forward as they debate potential rules changes and grapple with the raw feelings lingering after the unprecedented events of last week.
While the impetus on Republicans to pick a new speaker escalated after the terrorist attack in Israel over the weekend, the House GOP conference remains bitterly divided over how it should proceed – and who can get the 217 votes needed to lead it.
Republicans are preparing for the prospect that neither House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana nor House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio can get the votes to be elected speaker, leaving the conference with no clear path forward. They’re also divided over the rules that the conference will use to elect a new speaker – while hoping to avoid the embarrassment of the 15-vote marathon that played out for McCarthy in January.
“The House needs to get back to work, and that means we’ve got to select the speaker, and you saw strong resolve to make sure that we can come together quickly (to) get our speaker elected,” Scalise told reporters following a marathon two-hour conference meeting Monday evening.
House Republicans are slated to hear again from Scalise and Jordan on Tuesday evening for a candidate forum, but it’s unlikely that another meeting will solve the conference’s simmering issues.
The Monday session also gave lawmakers the chance to vent about the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy and left the House speakerless. GOP lawmakers made clear their emotions are still raw, and it will take ample time to find consensus after the unprecedented events of last week.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin told CNN he wasn’t ready to back a candidate.
“I’m not backing anyone, until we deal with the fact that we have people in our conference who could shut this House down on a whim again,” Orden said.
Read more about the race for the next House speaker here.
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The rules for removing a House speaker have become central to the race to replace McCarthy
From CNN's Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Annie Grayer
A key contingent of moderate Republicans are laying out demands for House speakership candidates. Chief among them: winning assurances the government doesn’t shut down in mid-November, and changing the rules so it requires more than a single lawmaker to call for a vote and seek the ouster of a sitting speaker, as Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida just did to Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
Remember: “Motion to vacate” is the name of the procedure used to remove a speaker. When he was trying to win the job in January, McCarthy agreed to rules that allow just one member to initiate a motion to vacate — significantly lowering the bar for voting on ousting the chamber’s leader. Some hardliners are insisting that rule stay in place.
Asked if he could commit to backing a candidate who doesn’t commit to changing the powerful rule, Miller said: “It’s going to be very tough.”
Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana told CNN he wants to discuss the rule changes before holding speaker elections, telling reporters last week, “I think before we have a single discussion about the speaker, we’ve got to discuss the functionality of the position.”
During his call with the business-minded Main Street Caucus on Thursday, contender Rep. Jim Jordan said any changes to the motion to vacate would need to be a conference decision, a source on the call said, but he sounded open to changing it.
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The battle to win the House speakership could hinge on moderate Republicans
From CNN's Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Annie Grayer
Members of the House of Representatives participate in the vote for Speaker on the first day of the 118th Congress on January 3.
Behind the scenes, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio have been making a direct pitch to more centrist members, both insisting they will make their reelection battles a priority and ensure more stability atop the badly divided conference, according to sources familiar with the conversations.
Jordan and Scalise have made overtures to a bloc of New York Republicans who are among the most vulnerable in the House and would be considered a key prize for whichever candidate wins them over.
Scalise met virtually with the House Freedom Caucus on Sunday afternoon as he tried to lock down support ahead of a secret-ballot leadership election Wednesday to nominate a candidate for speaker, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move comes after Jordan met with the same group on Friday.
Jordan is also targeting a key constituency that is seen as up for grabs: moderate members who were loyal to McCarthy. Over the years, the former speaker has had a tepid relationship with Scalise, his top deputy, as the two were long seen as potential rivals. McCarthy, though, is staying neutral in the race right now.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, a McCarthy ally who considers himself center right, said Jordan “certainly can win me over.”
“He was one of Kevin McCarthy’s most vocal supporters,” Gimenez told CNN. “And you know what? That carries a lot of weight.”
Jordan gained a key endorsement Friday from former President Donald Trump.
In a post on Truth Social shortly after midnight, Trump said Jordan “will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”
While his backing could boost Jordan’s support on the right, it won’t do much to sway moderates.
But many members are keeping their powder dry, worried that neither candidate would be able to win the support of nearly every Republican on the floor. That means the House could see a prolonged race, much like in January. Some members are holding out hope for a dark-horse candidate to emerge, potentially the interim speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, who so far hasn’t taken steps for a possible run.
