House Republicans to vote on their third speaker nominee in as many weeks

House Republicans are going back to the drawing board to select a nominee to be House speaker, three weeks after a vote to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy threw the chamber into disarray.

Republicans will meet Tuesday morning to vote for a nominee in a secret ballot election. This will be the third election of its kind in as many weeks: Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan were both named the party’s nominee, but pulled their candidacies after they failed to secure enough support to succeed on the floor. Scalise withdrew before trying on the floor and Jordan failed on three ballots by the full House. Any nominee will need 217 votes to secure the gavel if all members of the House are present and voting.

Eight members remain in the race after Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., dropped out during a Monday meeting. Until a speaker is elected, the House is unable to move legislation on the floor to provide aid to Israel and Ukraine or fund the government past Nov. 17.

Who is running?

Jack Bergman, R-Mich.

Bergman is a retired Marine and is touting his 40 years of military service and experience on the Armed Services and Veterans’ committees. He is stressing that he’s campaigning for the job just for the remainder of this Congress.

Byron Donalds, R-Fla.

Elected in 2020, Donalds is the most junior member running for speaker. He is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and has quickly made a name for himself in conservative circles. During Kevin McCarthy’s January bid to secure the gavel, many of McCarthy’s opponents coalesced around Donalds as an alternate choice. He’s won endorsements from the conservative Tea Party Patriots Action and would be the first Black speaker of the House.

Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

Emmer is the current Republican whip, and is seen as a potential frontrunner. But he could face resistance from conservative hardliners in the conference. For one, he’s not as closely aligned with or embraced by former President Trump as someone like Jordan was. He’s one of only two candidates — Rep. Austin Scott is the other — who voted to certify the 2020 election results. He’s also already in leadership, which means he brings experience to the role. But that position could also make him a target for the members who have called for a fresh face or a total leadership reset.

Mike Johnson, R-La.

Johnson was first elected in 2016 and is now the vice chair of the House Republican Conference. He is an attorney and served in the Louisiana state legislature before coming to Congress. He sits on the Judiciary and Armed Services committees.

Kevin Hern, R-Okla.

Hern considered running for speaker after McCarthy’s ouster, but did not officially enter the race at that time. Before entering politics Hern opened 24 McDonald’s restaurants and worked on the company’s corporate leadership team. He is the chair of the Republican Study Committee, a large group of fiscal conservatives. The RSC is viewed as a springboard to leadership roles - former chairs include Scalise, Jordan, and Mike Johnson.

Gary Palmer, R-Ala.

Palmer is part of the current leadership team, and serves as the policy chair. He’s a conservative who is pledging to focus on fiscal responsibility and focus on showing a contrast with Democrats.

Austin Scott, R-Ga.

This is Scott’s second foray into the speaker’s race this month. He challenged Jordan for the nomination in the second secret ballot election. Scott is one of the two candidates, along with Emmer, who did not object to certifying President Biden’s 2020 electoral college victory.

Pete Sessions, R-Tx.

First elected in 1996, Sessions is the most senior candidate in the field. He has previously served as chair of the House Judiciary Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign and fundraising arm for House Republicans.

What to expect

Republicans will vote in a multi-round secret ballot election on Tuesday. The lowest vote getter in each round will be dropped from the race, and members will vote again. It could be a lengthy process. But if candidates drop out of their own accord and endorse someone else, that could move the process along.

Once a nominee is chosen, he’ll face the same question that Jordan and Scalise and McCarthy did before him: Can he lock up 217 votes for his bid to succeed on the floor? As a reminder, there are currently 221 Republicans in the House.

Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., introduced a Unity Pledge on Friday, urging his colleagues to “put our differences aside and come together.” The pledge states that a member will support whoever becomes the party nominee when their nomination comes to the floor.

“What we have now is a complete breakdown of what we’ve done for 200 years,” Flood told NPR’s Morning Edition. “The unity pledge simply says, we’re going to support the candidate for speaker that wins the majority of the votes in our conference when we get to the floor. It’s something we’ve done for 200 years. It’s simple, but unfortunately, it’s necessary.”

Eight of the nine candidates have signed the pledge so far, Flood’s office told NPR.