Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) called off the third Speaker of the House vote after it was apparent that he would not be able to secure the majority needed to win. He has said that he will back the temporary Speaker, Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC) to extend and empower his temporary abilities as the House looks to provide funding for Israel and the U.S. Government.
Following the sudden change, Representative Matt Gaetz said that he was against Rep. McHenry assuming the role of Speaker for a temporary amount of time, also known as “Speaker Light.”
"I'm against 'Speaker Light.' I'm against Bud Light. I believe it is a constitutional desecration to not elect a Speaker of the House. We need to stay here until we elect a Speaker."
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on possibility of Rep. McHenry (R-NC) becoming permanent acting Speaker pic.twitter.com/QcyORZszkb
— The Recount (@therecount) October 19, 2023
“I’m against ‘Speaker Light.’ I’m against Bud Light. I believe it is a constitutional desecration to not elect a Speaker of the House. We need to stay here until we elect a Speaker,” said Rep. Gaetz.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) called the decision to grant powers to Rep. McHenry, “The biggest ‘F-U’ to Republican voters.”
“We’re handing our majority back over to the Democrats by going along with a power-sharing agreement. It's absurd. It’s the biggest ‘F-U’ to Republican voters I’ve ever seen.”
— Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) on possibility of giving expanded powers to acting Speaker McHenry (R-NC) pic.twitter.com/Eu9iDPSlzF
— The Recount (@therecount) October 19, 2023
“We’re handing our majority back over to the Democrats by going along with a power-sharing agreement. It’s absurd. It’s the biggest ‘F-U’ to Republican voters I’ve ever seen,” said Rep. Banks.
However, Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) says he would support a bipartisan deal to make McHenry the Speaker of the House for a temporary amount of time.
Rep. Moskowitz (D-FL) says he’s in favor of a deal to empower Rep. McHenry (R-NC) as acting Speaker:
“It's gonna have to be a bipartisan path forward, should Democrats empower the Pro-Temp, and all of a sudden we go back to the way it was and that deal is gonna fall apart.” pic.twitter.com/4tc2suU0M5
— The Recount (@therecount) October 19, 2023
“It’s gonna have to be a bipartisan path forward, should Democrats empower the Pro-Temp, and all of a sudden we go back to the way it was and that deal is gonna fall apart,” said Rep. Moskowitz.
Currently, the plan proposed for McHenry would give him temporary status as Speaker until January while Rep. Jordan attempts to gain support.
Could a Floridian like Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) throw his hat into the ring? Rep. Donalds has told The Floridian that he has expressed interest in running for the Speakership position should Jordan continue to fail to meet the majority threshold needed to win.
At this point, why not?
The sample size may be too small, but if Donalds is a candidate who can receive support from a congressman like Buchanan (who was at first hesitant to support Jordan) while also capable of capturing the votes of the Freedom Caucus, then why wouldn’t the Republican Conference unite around him?
