It illustrates the contrast between the two parties that the candidate currently with the most votes to be elected Speaker of the House is Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
Punchbowl News reported on the total House Republican dysfunction:
House Republicans are entering a critical two-day stretch in their quest to elect a new speaker, and they’re mired in a state of total confusion.
Neither candidate — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise nor Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) — has anywhere near the requisite support to win a majority inside the Republican conference or on the House floor.
Scalise and Jordan combined reportedly only have a quarter of the needed 217 votes to be elected speaker. There are hundreds of uncommitted House Republican votes at the moment, and some Republicans swear that they won’t vote for anyone other than Kevin McCarthy.
On the other hand, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has the votes of every single House Democrat. Jeffries is just five votes short of being elected speaker even though Republicans have the majority, which is why Republicans will not bring the speaker election to the House floor until they have a candidate who has 217 votes.
There are some Republicans who are scared that a few of their colleagues could break away and support Jeffries out of frustration. The odds of such an event occurring are very low, but that is why the House might be paralyzed without a speaker.
Hakeem Jeffries has the most committed votes to be the next Speaker of the House, and Republicans can’t risk his potential victory.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
