Photo by Steven Lelham on Unsplash
I wrote about Rep. Jim Jordan's failed bid for the Speaker position in the House of Representatives in this post. You can also read about the events that led up to Speaker McCarty's ousting here. Now that Jordan is out of the running, let's take a look at the next eight hopefuls vying to take control of the gavel. (Dan Meuser has now withdrawn from the race).
The summary covers a number of things - their seniority and time in office, their committee appointments, the bills they have co sponsored or led on, if they voted against certification of the 2020 election, whether they voted to avert a shutdown and how far their voting record differs from the Republican consensus. You can use your own opinions to decide which of these factors may prove decisive in winning them the Speaker's chair.
Rep. Tom Emmer (MN)
Emmer is the House majority whip and the most senior of the candidates, and the current favorite. He has been in Congress since 2015 representing Minnesota District 6. He currently serves on the House Financial Services Committee and two of its subcommittees - Capital Markets and Digital Assets.
BillTrack50 data indicates Emmer has been a sponsor on an impressive 1,122 bills since 2015 and has been the main sponsor on over 100 bills (filter the sponsor column of the stakeholder page for 'Tom Emmer (R)*' to just see those bills where he was the main sponsor). Of those, only three have actually become law: HR4425 in 2016 and HR6218 in 2022 (both renaming post offices) and HR534 in 2017 (a resolution calling for the US to rejoin the Bureau of International Expositions).
Emmer supported both Jordan and Scalise in their attempts to become speaker and voted in favour of HR5860, the continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown in September. He also voted to certify the results of the 2020 election.
As we did with Jim Jordan, let's take a look at where he has deviated from the Republican line in voting. As you'd expect from the majority whip, he has been pretty consistent in voting with his colleagues. There are only three occasions where he has voted differently on votes where 160 Republicans or more agreed and that then went on to pass, all in 2022 - HR203 and HR700, both regarding the renaming of post offices (where he voted no, against a broad consensus) and the Respect for Marriage Act where he voted to support Democrats in repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.
Rep. Kevin Hern (OK)
Hern has been a US Representative only since 2018, representing Oklahoma District 1. He chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee. He is on the House Democracy Partnership (supporting legislatures around the world to be more effective) (ed: yes, we see the irony) and the House Ways and Means Committee, and two of its subcommittees - Health and Tax.
Hern has sponsored 563 bills in his time in the House. On 36 of the bills he was the main sponsor, and of those only one has passed - HR1298 which renames a post office.
Hern supported Jordan's bid to become speaker and voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He also voted against HR5860, the continuing resolution to avoid the government shutdown and voted to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
He has been more rebellious in his time in Congress than Emmer, voting against the majority of Republicans on bills that then passed on 13 occasions. These are a fairly mixed bunch, and include voting against the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021, the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act of 2021, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (2021) and the Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act of 2022.
Rep. Pete Sessions (TX)
Sessions is a House veteran, and has represented Texas on and off since 2003. He currently sits on the House Financial Services Committee and two of its subcommittees (Capital Markets and Oversight), and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and its Operations and Workforce Subcommittee (as its chair) and the National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee. He previously chaired the House Rules Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
He has sponsored a whopping 1,752 bills since 2011 (the earliest year for which we have data). He was lead sponsor on 79 of those, none of which have passed.
Sessions supported Jordan's bid for Speaker, voted against certifying the results of the 2020 election and in favor of the averting the government shutdown.
He has deviated from the majority of the Republican caucas on successful bills only 5 times. The bills were: the Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2021, Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects Act (2021/22), Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021, Shadow Wolves Enhancement Act (2022), and A post office renaming bill (2022).
Rep. Austin Scott (GA)
Scott has represented the 8th Congressional District of Georgia since 2011. He is on three committees and 7 subcommittees. He is vice chair of the House Agriculture Committee and a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. For details of the subcommittees see his legislator page.
Scott has sponsored a respectable 1,380 bills. He has been the main sponsor on 51 bills. One of those has passed - the Veterans Cemetery Benefit Correction Act in 2018.
Scott was a supporter of Jordan in his bid for Speaker, dropping out of the race himself in favor of Jordan. He did not oppose the certification of the 2020 election and voted in favour of the continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown.
He has been very consistent in voting with the broader conference, voting against the majority on only three occasions - the Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act of 2022, an Act To amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010, and the Respect for Child Survivors Act (2022).
Rep. Byron Donalds (FL)
Donalds is a relative newcomer, representing Florida District 19 in the House only since 2021. He is a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and the conservative Republican Study Committee. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee and its Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion Subcommittee and Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy Subcommittee. He also serves on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and its Economic Growth, Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee and Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Subcommittee.
Considering his relatively short tenure, he has sponsored an impressive 818 bills and a stunning 85 as main sponsor. None of the 85 bills have become law.
Donalds voted against the certification of the 2020 election and has repeatedly falsely claimed that Biden is not the legitimate president. He supported Jordan in his bid to become speaker and did not vote on the bill to avert a government shutdown.
He has voted against the broader Republican consensus on 11 occasions. Among the bills he opposed were: Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023, An Act To deposit certain funds into the Crime Victims Fund in 2021 and the Respect for Child Survivors Act in 2022.
Rep. Jack Bergman (MI)
Bergman has represented Michigan District 1 since 2017 and is a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant general. He is a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee and serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Budget Committee. He also serves on 7 subcommittees and is chair of the House Armed Services Committee Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee and the House Budget Committee Oversight Task Force.
He has sponsored 718 bills in his time in the House and was lead sponsor on only five of those. None passed.
He did not vote to certify the results of the 2020 election and supported Jordan for Speaker. He voted in favor of the continuing resolution to avert a shutdown.
Impressively, he has voted against the Republican consensus on only one occasion - he voted in favor of An Act To prevent across-the-board direct spending cuts due to the budget process in 2021.
Rep. Mike Johnson (LA)
Johnson has also been in the House since 2017, representing Louisiana District 4. He is the vice-chair of the House Republican Conference and from 2019 to 2021, he chaired the conservative Republican Study Committee. He serves on the Combat Mexican Drug Cartels Task Force, the House Armed Services Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. He also serves on five subcommittees, of which he is the chair of the House Judiciary Committee Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee.
He has sponsored a mere 676 bills since 2017 and was main sponsor on 53 of those. Three of those have passed (making him arguably the most effective lawmaker of the bunch) which are: Save the Liberty Theatre Act of 2021, Red River National Wildlife Refuge Boundary Modification Act in 2022 and a post office naming bill in 2019. What is it with Republican representatives and post offices?
Johnson served in former president Trump's legal defense team during his two impeachment trials in the Senate and also contested the results of the 2020 presidential election. He supported Jordan for Speaker and against the bill to avert a government shutdown.
He has also voted against the Republican consensus on only one occasion - he voted against the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.
Rep. Dan Meuser (PA) **WITHDRAWN**
Meuser has been the representative for Pennsylvania District 9 since 2019. He is a member of three out of the five GOP ideological caucuses: the moderate Problem Solvers caucus, the Main Street Republicans, and the conservative Republican Study Committee. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Small Business Committee, and five subcommittees. He chairs the House Small Business Committee Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access Subcommittee.
He has sponsored 716 bills, and was main sponsor on 34 of them. None passed.
Meuser was one of over 120 House Republicans who in December 2020 signed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit that would have invalidated the results of the 2020 election in four states, including his home state. He supported Jordan for Speaker and voted in favor of averting the government shutdown.
He has voted against the consensus on two occasions - Against a post office renaming in Texas (what does he have against Benny C. Martinez?) and in favor of the Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023.
Rep. Gary Palmer (AL)
Palmer has represented Alabama District 6 since 2015. He is a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus and the Republican Study Committee. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, as well as four subcommittees.
He has sponsored a paltry 496 bills, and was main sponsor on 39 of them. Two have become law - a post office renaming bill in 2018 (seriously..!) and the Transparency in Federal Buildings Projects Act of 2019.
Palmer voted against certifying the results of the 2020 election and also signed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit that would have invalidated the results of the 2020 election in four states. He supported Jordan for Speaker and against averting the government shutdown.
He has never voted against the consensus on a bill, just on a couple of amendments to bills.
Conclusion?
So there you have it, the new eight. Which factors may affect how the Republican conference votes this week? They all voted for Jordan in the previous rounds of voting. Palmer has an impressive record of never voting against the party, will that help or hinder him? Conversely, Donalds and Hern, relative neophytes, have voted against the GOP 11 and 13 times respectively. Will support for former President Trump prove decisive, helping those who voted not to certify the election results - only Emmer and Scott of the eight voted to uphold the results of the election. What about their legislative record - in these gridlocked times it's difficult to get bills passed but will the fact that Sessions, Donalds, and Bergman haven't led on any successful bills count against them? Or, will successfully renaming post offices be the key factor on the road to success? Or, in fact, will the Republicans remain mired in chaos and fail to rally around a single candidate yet again.
We'll keep this post updated as the spectacle plays out!
With thanks to the Washington Post for this great article summarising the contest which served as source material.
Legislator photos courtesy of congress.gov
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