CNN
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Republican lawmakers returning to Washington this week will do so without a House speaker, setting up a high-pressure situation to reach consensus on a candidate to wield the gavel – and the power to push through support for Israel.
While Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina serves as the acting speaker after the historic ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy last week, he has little power outside of recessing, adjourning or recognizing speaker nominations.
Two candidates have stepped up to fill the vacuum: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump. Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern announced Saturday that he had decided not to run.
Neither man starts the week with anywhere near the votes needed to claim the top spot, so here’s what to watch as the race unfolds:
Who are the candidates?
Jim Jordan: The powerful chair of the Judiciary Committee and a founder of the conservative Freedom Caucus secured Trump’s backing last week. (The former president’s intervention came after he expressed openness to temporarily serving in the role himself and had considered a visit to Capitol Hill to speak with Republicans, but he is no longer expected to make that trip.) Jordan has been a key figure in high-profile House GOP-led investigations.
Steve Scalise: As the No. 2 House Republican after the speaker, Scalise has been a prominent figure in the conference and had long been seen as either a potential successor, or rival, to McCarthy. Before he became majority leader, Scalise served as House GOP whip, a role focused on vote counting and ensuring support for key party priorities. The majority leader, his current role, oversees the House floor and schedules legislation for votes.
Scalise met virtually with the House Freedom Caucus on Sunday afternoon as he tries 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.
Both lawmakers have also been making a direct pitch to more centrist members, 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.
By CNN’s count, just over 60 members have publicly endorsed so far, with many more indicating they will keep their powder dry for now. Jordan racked up some notable endorsements over the weekend, mostly from the far-right faction.
The House GOP is scheduled to hold a candidate forum on Tuesday and an internal election on Wednesday, but it’s unclear when the floor vote will happen.
Monday at 6 p.m. ET: Republicans who left town will start returning for an in-person candidate debate and discussion during which Scalise and Jordan are expected to make their pitches to the conference.
Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET: The House GOP will hold an official candidate forum during which members will debate who is the best fit to take the gavel.
House Democrats will hold a similar forum on Tuesday to officially nominate their leader, Hakeem Jeffries, for speaker.
Wednesday 9 a.m. ET: House Republicans will hold an internal, secret-ballot election to officially select their nominee.
When will the official floor vote take place? This could happen as soon as Wednesday, but it will be up to whomever the GOP decides to officially nominate – starting the floor vote will be their call.
And this is where things get tricky. Remember, it took McCarthy 15 rounds of balloting to secure the necessary votes in January. Given the division in the GOP and the party’s slim majority, it will be a tall order for whoever the ultimate Republican nominee is to try to secure the requisite 217 votes quickly. (The nominee can only lose four GOP votes.)
The magic…
Read More: House GOP returns to Washington without a speaker while Israel faces war