Key takeaways:
- Rep. Patrick McHenry has been named speaker pro tempore, while Reps. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan have both announced they are running to be the next speaker.
- The person must be nominated by a member of the House, then chosen by a majority of the full membership of the House.
- The House has never been led by a non-member in its history, and experts say a non-member speaker is still unlikely.
The House of Representatives is in uncharted territory after a no-confidence vote removed Kevin McCarthy from the speakership on Tuesday. This is the first time in the House’s 234-year history that a speaker has been removed in this manner.
Rep. Patrick McHenry has been named speaker pro tempore, while Reps. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan have both announced they are running to be the next speaker. However, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and Greg Steube (R-Fla.) have stated that they want former President Donald Trump to be speaker. Trump is reportedly considering a visit to the Capitol next week, ahead of an election for the House’s top job.
The person must be nominated by a member of the House, then chosen by a majority of the full membership of the House. The Constitution has very few requirements to be House speaker, but Republicans’ own rules forbid someone under criminal indictment for a felony from serving in party leadership.
The House has never been led by a non-member in its history, and experts say a non-member speaker is still unlikely. Nevertheless, the prospect of Trump becoming the next speaker has some House Republicans excited.
The House is now in a period of uncertainty as it awaits the election of a new speaker. It remains to be seen whether the House will elect a new member to the position, or if the former president will be chosen to lead the chamber.
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