“Nine Republicans: Who Will Win the Race for House Speaker?

It has been an eventful few days in Washington, as nine Republicans have announced their bid to be the next House Speaker. The current speaker, Paul Ryan, is retiring at the end of the year and his replacement will have the critical task of leading the lower chamber of Congress for the remainder of the 115th Congress. The nine contenders to replace him include some familiar names. Deputy Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republican Conference Chair Steve Scalise are both running and have been considered front-runners for the position. With Ryan’s retirement, these two have emerged as the top candidates to become the 60th speaker of the House. The other seven contenders are far less established, but all come from the Republican Party’s more conservative wing. For example, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mark Meadows of North Carolina are both members of the Freedom Caucus and from the Tea Party wing of the party. Other contenders include Republicans from the business-minded wing of the party. These include three former chairs of the House Republican Conference, Cathy McMorris Rodgers from Washington, Gregg Harper from Mississippi, and Rob Woodall from Georgia. Additionally, Paul Mitchell from Michigan, Liz Cheney from Wyoming and Gary Palmer from Alabama fill out the field of nine contenders vying to replace Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House. As the 2018 midterm elections approach, the motivation for the different candidates vary. Some are looking to make a statement and believe that by holding a prominent position on Capitol Hill they can make an impact on policy; others have a more personal motivation as several of the contenders have indicated they would like to move up in the party leadership. The race to become the 60th Speaker of the House is now officially underway. It will be interesting to see which of the nine contenders emerges to take up Ryan’s mantle and steer the House of Representatives through the final months of the 115th Congress. It has been an eventful few days in Washington, as nine Republicans have announced their bid to be the next House Speaker. The current speaker, Paul Ryan, is retiring at the end of the year and his replacement will have the critical task of leading the lower chamber of Congress for the remainder of the 115th Congress. The nine contenders to replace him include some familiar names. Deputy Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republican Conference Chair Steve Scalise are both running and have been considered front-runners for the position. With Ryan’s retirement, these two have emerged as the top candidates to become the 60th speaker of the House. The other seven contenders are far less established, but all come from the Republican Party’s more conservative wing. For example, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mark Meadows of North Carolina are both members of the Freedom Caucus and from the Tea Party wing of the party. Other contenders include Republicans from the business-minded wing of the party. These include three former chairs of the House Republican Conference, Cathy McMorris Rodgers from Washington, Gregg Harper from Mississippi, and Rob Woodall from Georgia. Additionally, Paul Mitchell from Michigan, Liz Cheney from Wyoming and Gary Palmer from Alabama fill out the field of nine contenders vying to replace Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House. As the 2018 midterm elections approach, the motivation for the different candidates vary. Some are looking to make a statement and believe that by holding a prominent position on Capitol Hill they can make an impact on policy; others have a more personal motivation as several of the contenders have indicated they would like to move up in the party leadership. The race to become the 60th Speaker of the House is now officially underway. It will be interesting to see which of the nine contenders emerges to take up Ryan’s mantle and steer the House of Representatives through the final months of the 115th Congress.