House Republicans to consider ‘unity pledge’ to back speaker nominee

Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Steve Scalise failed in their House speaker bids
Nine candidates have announced their candidacy for House speaker
GOP to host forum candidate forum Monday, conduct internal vote Tuesday

Updated: Oct 23, 2023 / 06:58 PM CDT

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The Republican Party is introducing a fresh slate of candidates in its quest for a new House speaker.

A candidate forum is scheduled on Capitol Hill on Monday at 6:30 p.m. EST. It represents Republicans’ most promising opportunity for unity, nearly three weeks after Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s removal as House speaker.

“The space and time for a reset is the important thing for House Republicans,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry.

Following a weekend deadline, nine Republicans will run for the party’s nomination.

The group includes House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota. Emmer has received an endorsement from McCarthy, who deemed Emmer the ideal candidate to unify the party.

Rep. Mike Johnson, who is well-liked within the party, and Rep. Bryon Donalds, who garnered votes for speaker in January, are also running.

Numerous candidates have openly endorsed a unity pledge crafted by Rep. Mike Flood, committing to support the eventual winner this week.

Flood emphasized, “This pledge is a new effort to help our conference put our differences aside and come together.”

The forum was scheduled after Rep. Jim Jordan failed to get enough votes to become the new House speaker in three ballots last week.

As Republicans convene for a closed-door candidate forum on Monday, securing endorsements will be crucial to distinguish themselves.

Notably, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has refrained from taking a stance.

“Look, I’m not an expert on the House. I have my hands full here in the Senate, and we’re gonna do our job and hope the House can get functional here sometime soon,” McConnell said Sunday on CBS “Face the Nation“.

The competition coincides with ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and the threat of a federal government shutdown on Nov. 17. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul exposed concern that the turmoil in Capitol Hill sends a negative message worldwide.

“It’s too dangerous right now. The world’s on fire. This is so dangerous, what we’re doing,” he said. “More importantly, it’s embarrassing because it empowers and emboldens our adversaries like Chairman Xi, who says ‘You know, democracy doesn’t work.'”

Republicans intended to conduct an internal vote to select a nominee Tuesday morning.