Georgia Rep. Austin Scott said Friday he will run for speaker in a two-person race against House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan.
Scott made his case to fellow House Republicans at a candidates forum that began at 1 p.m. Friday, hours after Republicans rejected a proposed rule change on how speaker nominees are selected.
“I have applied to become Speaker of the House of Representatives,” Scott write on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We legislate in Washington, and I want to lead a House that is in the best interest of the American people.”
Jordan, an Ohio Republican and Freedom Caucus founder, was considered the favorite after narrowly finishing in second place in Wednesday’s nominating race against Louisiana Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Scalise withdrew from the race Thursday night because he was unable to secure a clear majority in the election.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Jordan ally, said the Ohio native was certain to be the nominee and ultimately get the 217 votes needed to elect the next speaker.
“He has the tickets,” Massie said. “I think there’s a real desire to come together.”
As for the other candidates, Massie said, “I don’t expect anyone who is nominated to get even 10 percent of Jordan’s votes.”
As a sign of Jordan’s prowess, he will be nominated by members from all factions of the conference. They include Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative group, and Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, leader of the Main Street Alliance. New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis will also nominate Jordan.
Oklahoma Rep. Frank Lucas is expected to nominate Scott.
The Georgia Republican, who is entering his seventh term, criticized the eight Republicans who joined all House Democrats in voting last week to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy as “nothing more than liars who handed control of the House to Democrats.” ”. In the name of their own glory and fundraising. “
Scott, a member of the military caucus, said he would vote against Jordan if he ran for speaker.
Some defense hawks have expressed concerns about potential Pentagon budget cuts under Jordan, according to people familiar with the matter.
“No,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., told when asked if he could support Jordan. “I support Kevin McCarthy.”
But some Republicans remain concerned that neither man can win a majority in the House, assuming Democrats unite in opposition. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, said Republicans may need to work with Democrats to find consensus candidates if the intra-party fight drags on longer.
“At some point, when we get to the end of the wall, and we’re still in this position, we’re going to come up with a bipartisan solution,” he said.
But Malliotakis didn’t think the idea would work.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” she said. “Last week was a time for bipartisanship,” she added, referring to McCarthy’s ouster. “What happened to Kevin McCarthy should not have happened. If Democrats cared about this institution, they wouldn’t have sided with the right-wing fringe to get rid of our speaker and bring Congress to a standstill.”
Laura Weiss, David Lerman and Paul M. Krawzak contributed to this report.
