The House Republican majority is stuck, one week after the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with lawmakers unable to coalesce around a new leader in a stalemate that threatens to keep Congress partly shuttered indefinitely.
On Tuesday evening, two leading contenders for the gavel, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, were addressing colleagues behind closed doors at a candidate forum. But they appeared to be splitting the vote.
McCarthy, meanwhile, was openly ready to reclaim the gavel he just lost, but was seen by many as a longshot option unlikely to win back the handful of hardliners who just ousted him.
While yes, I’m normally inclined to believe Republicans colluding with foreign governments. I think this time, it’s all just extremely unfortunate timing. McCarthy being outside really does seem to be hard-line Republicans being fed up with him, with the budget proposal being the final straw. Also McCarthy was heavily disliked by both sides.