GOP Searches for a Speaker for the 3rd Time

9 GOP candidates will make their pitch in a closed-door conference on Monday evening. Follow here for updates.

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Sept. 20, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Will the third time be a charm?

The House GOP is scheduled to meet on Oct. 23 for a candidate forum. There are nine candidates: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Reps. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Mike Johnson (R-La.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Austin Scott (R-Ga.), Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), Pete Sessions (R-Texas), and Gary Palmer (R-Alabama).

Last week, after three ballots, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) failed to win the gavel. The House GOP booted him as their speaker-designee and went home for the weekend. Candidates had to throw their name into the ring by Oct. 22.

The week before that, House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), the previous speaker nominee, withdrew his bid after it became apparent he wouldn’t secure enough votes on the floor to win the gavel.

The House GOP is scheduled to vote in a secret ballot for their speaker-designee on the morning of Oct. 24. The nominee must win 217 votes in order to succeed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and become second in line to the presidency.

Follow below for live updates. All times are Eastern.

No One Leading, Per GOP Congressman–8:18 p.m.

None of the candidates is leading the race, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told reporters outside the forum.

GOP Congressman Predicts Speaker By Tomorrow Night–7:58 p.m.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who was one of the Republicans to vote against Mr. Jordan, predicted to reporters outside the forum that the House will have a speaker by the evening of Oct. 24.

One Candidate Drops Out–7:29 p.m.

Mr. Meuser has dropped out. There are eight GOP candidates remaining.

Prominent Republican Warns of 50 Percent Chance of Shutdown–6:46 p.m.

Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), the chairman of the Main Street Caucus, told reporters that the chances of a government shutdown, given the past few weeks of there being no speaker, is “a coin flip.”

Sessions Calls for Unity–6:42 p.m.

Mr. Sessions, who is running for the gavel, called for the House GOP to get behind a nominee.

“I think that what’s happened is is that over time our inability to see each other as important to being important to each other has diminished itself,” he told reporters ahead of the meeting.

“And I think what’s got to happen is is that we have to put us all at an equal place.” continued Mr. Sessions. “And the bottom line is that forced one way or another leadership to make those hard choices too, and they too picked and chose who they wanted. And that further divided the team.”