WASHINGTON, D.C. – It was a busy day on the hill for House Republicans who are working to nominate and elect a new Speaker of the House.
Eight Republicans and all House Democrats voted to remove former Speaker, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), last week. A lot has happened following the coup against McCarthy, most notably the war in Israel. The conflict is putting pressure on the House, especially Republicans, to elect a new Speaker so that the House can function and assist Israel.
At the top of the list Wednesday morning were House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). Wednesday afternoon, House Republicans met behind closed doors to cast secret ballots for who should be the next Speaker of the House.
Leader Scalise won the unofficial nomination from his colleagues by about a dozen votes over Jordan. Local members of Congress weighed in on the race and why it needs to be settled quickly.
“But we need to get passed some of the middle school behavior that occurred amongst the colleagues largely among on our side of the aisle because it was us who caused this to happen,” said Rep. Jack Bergman (R- MI). “But nobody needs to get a free pass here. The folks on the other side of the aisle in the House who are watching and think they can sit back and smile and smirk. They better get their act together too.”
