House Republicans push major rules change to avert another speakership humiliation

Congress

A group of House Republicans are privately attempting to change the conference’s internal rules, hoping to save their next speaker from embarrassing floor defeats.

Dozens of House Republicans are quietly pushing a temporary change that would raise the requirements to earn the party’s recommendation for speaker, according to three Republicans familiar with the matter. Under current rules, the House GOP meets in private to decide on a candidate for speaker by a two-thirds vote. The group wants to instead raise that threshold to 218 of the GOP’s 221 votes.

The potential speaker would still need to get 218 votes in a public floor vote, but the group’s hope is that raising that required support in the conference meeting means any fighting would happen behind closed doors, avoiding the public spectacle and humiliation of a dragged-out floor vote.

“What it boils down to is: Are we going to square everything away in the locker room before going onto the field?” one House Republican put it, granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy.

Still, getting there wouldn’t be easy, with disparate wings of the party pushing different candidates to move the party forward after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster. Those Republicans acknowledge they still need to suss out the ground rules, like how to handle absences and multiple rounds of voting. The conference election, where Republicans will cast secret ballots for speaker, is currently expected Wednesday.

“No repeat of January,” another member said.

Currently, Republicans are circulating a letter requesting the conference meet to consider achieving the 218 threshold in conference. Key names involved include centrist Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and conservative Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).

Republicans are expected to begin having in-person conference meetings Monday night, where such matters will be raised.