At least 10 House Republicans declared their candidacies or expressed interest in the speaker race by Friday evening after Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan’s three failed attempts to win a majority.
House Republicans voted to drop Jordan as their speaker nominee in a secret ballot vote held Friday after three votes on the House floor with Jordan as the nominee resulted in opposition to his bid growing from 20 Republican members to 25. Now, as the party aims for Tuesday to nominate a new speaker, multiple Republicans have already declared their candidacy, Fox News reported.
Reps. Kevin Hern (R-OK), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Jack Bergman (R-MI), and Pete Sessions (R-TX) have all officially announced their candidacies for speaker.
Hern, the chair of the Republican Study Committee, announced his candidacy shortly after the party voted to move on from Jordan Friday afternoon, saying the House needs to unify quickly.
“We must unify and do it fast,” Hern said in a statement. “We need a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I’m running for Speaker of the House.”
Donalds announced his candidacy shortly after Hern, outlining what his top priorities would be as speaker.
“My sole focus will be securing our border, funding our government responsibly, advancing a conservative vision for the House of Representatives and the American people, and expanding our Republican majority,” Donalds said in a statement.
Both Bergman and Sessions, like Hern, focused on unifying the party, citing their past leadership. Bergman pointed to his 40 years of experience in the military while Sessions touted his time as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
Other Republicans have also expressed interest in running for speaker and are reaching out to colleagues to gauge their support. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and House Republican Vice Conference Chair Mike Johnson (R-LA) are also considering a run, according to sources who informed Fox News.
Other Republicans who have signaled their interest in running for speaker include House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX), House Small Business Chair Roger Williams (R-TX), Austin Scott (R-GA), and Dan Meuser (R-PA). Republicans are set to meet on Monday behind closed doors to discuss their nominee, and then on Tuesday, the conference will vote for a nominee via anonymous ballot.
As of now, the race appears to be between Donalds and Emmer if the House Majority Whip does in fact run for speaker, one senior Republican told Axios. While Emmer holds the party leadership position, Donalds maintains the support of many in the House Freedom Caucus. Both Emmer and Donalds received votes on the House floor during the votes held with Jordan as the nominee.