A planned joint interview with three Republican lawmakers vying for House speaker has been called off after the candidates opted to buck the televised affair amid criticism in the GOP.
The Fox News-hosted event, which was to have featured confirmed speaker candidates House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan, along with Rep. Kevin Hern, who has not publicly announced his candidacy, has been canceled, Mr. Scalise’s office confirmed.
Mr. Hern, Oklahoma Republican, was the first of the trio to drop out of the event, saying that a televised joint interview was not the right forum for the battle for the gavel.
“I still haven’t made a decision on my candidacy for speaker, but I know one thing for sure. I will not be participating in the televised debate,” Mr. Hern said on X. “We need to make this decision as a conference, not on TV. The Republican conference needs a family discussion.”
A spokesperson for Mr. Scalise, Louisiana Republican, told The Washington Times that the No. 2 House Republican was not participating in the event.
The Washington Times has reached out to Mr. Jordan’s offices.
The cancellation follows the historic ousting of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker this week. Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry of North Carolina has scheduled a candidate forum for the Republican conference Tuesday, with an election for the nominee to replace Mr. McCarthy expected Wednesday.
Mr. McHenry was coy on when a floor vote for speaker would take place, telling reporters at the Capitol Friday morning that announcements on what happens next could come after scheduled conference meetings next week.
Mr. Scalise has been a popular fixture of House GOP leadership for more than a decade and is a juggernaut fundraiser. The number two House Republican has raised $170 million for other GOP candidates in the last decade.
Mr. Jordan of Ohio is a co-founder of the arch-conservative House Freedom Caucus and chair of the House Judiciary Committee. The lawmaker may not have the fundraising prowess of Mr. Scalise, but he is popular among the most conservative members of the House who often bucked Mr. McCarthy’s agenda — including Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who engineered the coup to remove Mr. McCarthy from the speakership.
Mr. Hern is the chair of the largest caucus in the GOP conference, the Republican Study Committee, which boasts more than 150 members across the conservative spectrum. He has pitched his background as a businessman as a selling point for his candidacy.
Roughly a quarter of the conference has weighed in on who they support in the race, according to The Washington Times’ whip count.
No candidate is a clear favorite among the fractured GOP conference. But an endorsement from former President Donald Trump could steer more lawmakers to support Mr. Jordan.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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