After nearly three weeks without a speaker of the House, nine Republican lawmakers have stepped up to say they want the job.
Twenty days after speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted at the start of the month, Republicans are still struggling to fill the top position in the House.
Republicans nominated House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., to replace McCarthy, but he withdrew his candidacy the next day.
Next, Republicans turned to Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Hours after failing to win the speakership in a third round of voting on the House floor Friday, Jordan lost an internal ballot to remain the GOP speaker nominee.
The House Republican Conference gave members until Sunday evening to express interest in running for the job that is second in line of succession to the U.S. presidency — behind the vice president.
The candidates who met that deadline are Reps. Jack Berman, Byron Donalds, Tom Emmer, Kevin Hern, Mike Johnson, Dan Meuser, Gary Palmer, Austin Scott and Pete Sessions.
Republicans will meet Monday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss those who have shown interest, and plan to have an internal vote Tuesday morning, according to interim Speaker Rep. Patrick McHenry.
Here are the candidates and what we know about them:
1. Jack Bergman
Bergman, R-Mich., is a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general and businessman. He was elected to Congress in 2016.
A Vietnam veteran, Bergman retired from the Corps in 2009. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee.
In addition to his military service, he was a commercial airline pilot and operated a medical supply business.
“My hat is in the ring, and I feel confident I can win the votes where others could not,” he said Friday. “I have no special interests to serve; I’m only in this to do what’s best for our Nation and to steady the ship for the 118th Congress.”
2. Byron Donalds
Donalds, R-Fla., first received votes for the speaker job during McCarthy’s 15-ballot speaker race in January. He again received votes last week during the three ballots held for Jordan, whom he supported.
Donalds announced his candidacy on Friday, saying he hopes to “become the first African American Speaker, the first Speaker from the great state of Florida, and the next Speaker of the 118th Congress” focusing on “securing our border, funding our government responsibly, advancing a conservative vision for the House of Representatives and the American people, and expanding our Republican majority.”
Donalds, 44, calls himself a “Trump-supporting, liberty-loving, pro-life, pro-Second Amendment Black man.”
Donalds’ name has come up as a potential pick for vice president if former President Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination.
3. Tom Emmer
Emmer, R-Minn., announced Saturday he would run for the position.
The 62-year-old had earlier declined to enter the race, instead backing McCarthy, a close friend.
Emmer, the current House majority whip, faces challenges from the House Freedom Caucus, as he was one of the few senior GOP leaders who voted to accept the Electoral College votes that clinched President Joe Biden’s win over Trump in 2020.
“The American people elected us to deliver on a conservative agenda that secures our border, stops reckless spending, and holds Joe Biden accountable. We cannot afford to fail them,” he said Saturday. “I’m running for Speaker of the House to bring our conference together and get back to work.”
McCarthy threw his support behind Emmer over the weekend.
“He’s been in the room with all of our successes,” the California Republican said. “He sets himself head and shoulders above all those others who want to run.
4. Kevin Hern
Hern, R-Okla., chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee.
Before being elected to Congress in 2018, Hern, 61, was a businessman who owned 24 McDonald’s franchises.
“We just had two Speaker Designates go down. We must unify and do it fast. I’ve spoken to every Member of the Conference over the last few weeks. We need a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I’m running for Speaker of the House,” he said.
5. Mike Johnson
Johnson, R-La., is the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference.
Johnson, 51, is an attorney and former radio host. He was first elected to Congress in 2016.
Johnson is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Constitution and Limited Government, and a member of the House Judiciary and Armed Services committees.
“At this critical juncture, our House Republican majority must provide principled leadership,” he said. “It is our duty to chart a new path, and answer with clarity and conviction who we are, why we are here, and what we are fighting for.”
6. Dan Meuser
Meuser, R-Pa., announced Friday on social media that he would run for the speakership.
The 59-year-old serves on the House Financial Services and Small Business Committees. He is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access for the Small Business Committee.
Meuser is also a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, the Republican Study Committee, the Border Security Caucus and the Congressional Coal Caucus.
“It’s time to get back to work and fight for a fiscally responsible budget, promote energy dominance, secure our border, protect our national security, weed out corruption, and earn the trust of the American people,” Meuser said.
7. Gary Palmer
Palmer, R-Ala., serves as the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.
The 69-year-old has been a member of the House since 2015.
He played football at the University of Alabama, earned his degree, and worked with two engineering construction companies before becoming involved with Focus on the Family.
He founded the Alabama Family Alliance, which later became the Alabama Policy Institute. He served as president of the conservative think tank for 24 years.
8. Austin Scott
Scott, R-Ga., was first elected to the U.S. House in 2011.
He is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Armed Services Committee and the House Agriculture Committee,
“If we are going to be the majority we need to act like the majority, and that means we have to do the right things the right way,” Scott said. “I supported and voted for Rep. Jim Jordan to be the Speaker of the House. Now that he has withdrawn, I am running again to be the Speaker of the House.”
Scott, 53, owned and operated an insurance brokerage firm for nearly 20 years.
9. Pete Sessions
Sessions, R-Texas, announced his candidacy on Friday.
The 68-year-old has served 24 years in Congress. In that time, he served in Republican Party leadership for 10 years, serving as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and chairman of the House Committee on Rules.
Currently, he is on the House Committee on Financial Services, the Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy, the task force on Financial Technology and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
“Congressman Sessions believes he can forge a positive path as a conservative leader who can unite the Conference,” his office said in a statement.
His father, William Sessions, was the director of the FBI.
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