House Freedom Caucus lawmakers are urging Republican leaders not to leave Washington until a new speaker is elected, and they say the GOP must choose someone who isn’t part of the “swamp.”
“The House Republican Conference must remain in Washington, D.C. until a new speaker of the House is elected. Republican leadership should have kept Republicans in Washington over [last] weekend,” the ultra-conservative faction of the conference said in a statement.
“Our work is not done. In fact, we are starting at ground zero after [Rep.] Jim Jordan, arguably one of the most popular Republicans in the country, was rejected by House Republicans,” the group said.
Three GOP candidates for House speaker have failed in their attempts to capture enough votes to win the gavel. Since Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican, bowed out Friday, a crowded field of nine GOP lawmakers is now vying for the post.
Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Bob Good of Virginia, Republican lawmakers who were part of the eight who ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Oct. 3, said if Republicans nominate a GOP member they consider to be too “swampy,” they and a handful of others will block that nominee.
“We’re not going to just rubber-stamp someone else from the swamp,” Mr. Good told attendees at a fundraiser in Louisa, Virginia, on Saturday, The Daily Progress reported. “Not any one of us can pick a speaker, but any five of us can block the speaker, and we’re not going to give up in the battle of trying to find the best conservative speaker that can get to 217 that represents what is becoming increasingly a conservative center of the conference.”
SEE ALSO: House Republican speaker’s race thrown wide open amid discord
Nine Republicans have announced they are running for House speaker and will address party lawmakers at the private candidates’ forum in the U.S. Capitol on Monday night.
Freedom Caucus members, who mostly made up the eight-person GOP revolt to oust Mr. McCarthy of California from his leadership job three weeks ago, called to proceed to elect a speaker with “all possible speed and determination.”
“Currently, the House Republican Conference does not plan to convene for a candidate forum until Monday evening, and there will likely be no floor vote until Tuesday at the earliest,” the Freedom Caucus said. “Intentional and unnecessary delays must end. It serves only the lobbyists of the swamp and defenders of the status quo to continue to drag out this process.”
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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