[World] A deputy, an insider or Trump? The race for US House Speaker

Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise have emerged as the top contenders to replace Kevin McCarthy, who was voted out as Speaker in an unprecedented move on Tuesday.

Other Republicans may also mount bids ahead of a candidate forum on Tuesday and a possible vote the following day.

The next Speaker can technically be anyone in the US.

Donald Trump did tease he would accept the job in the short term, but has now endorsed Mr Jordan.

Here’s a quick rundown of the candidates who could be next in line.

Once a thorn in his party’s side, Mr Jordan is now one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress.

The firebrand from Ohio, currently serving his ninth term, is chairman of the influential House Judiciary Committee and a key member of the House Oversight Committee.

He has used that perch to lead the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden as well as other aggressive investigations of the administration.

But Mr Jordan, 59, was not always inside the inner sanctum in Washington.

The staunch conservative has angered Republicans in the past with his inclination for bomb-throwing rhetoric and divisive tactics.

He was founding chairman in 2015 of the House Freedom Caucus, a disruptive hard-line group one former Republican Speaker labelled “legislative terrorists”.

In the Trump years, however, Mr Jordan gained visibility within the Republican voter base as one of the then-president’s most avid defenders.

He previously ran for Speaker in 2018 and was also nominated earlier this year, but he vigorously defended Mr McCarthy both in January and on Tuesday.

In a letter formally requesting the support of colleagues on Wednesday, Mr Jordan wrote: “We are at a critical crossroad in our nation’s history.”

“We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions. But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference.”

His bid has already received backing from several prominent conservatives, with Matt Gaetz – the rebel who led the coup against Mr McCarthy – writing: “My mentor Jim Jordan would be great!”

Mr Trump has now offered his support too. Writing on Truth Social, he said that Mr Jordan “has been a STAR long before making his very successful journey to Washington, D.C.”.

“He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!” he said.

But Mr Jordan’s past antics could see him struggle for the support of centrist Republicans.

And if he needs Democratic support, he will likely receive none. The party deplores his pro-Trump and anti-Biden stances, and he has already indicated he is “against” more US aid to Ukraine.

Mr Scalise, 57, has served as Mr McCarthy’s No. 2 since 2019 and his aspirations for the top job have long been an open secret in Washington.

Representing a suburban Louisiana district in the House since 2008, he is best known for surviving an assassination attempt in June 2017.

He was critically wounded by a bullet to the hip from an anti-Trump extremist who opened fire on Republican lawmakers practising for the annual congressional baseball charity match.

Mr Scalise returned to a standing ovation in Congress after more than three months of rehabilitation. He remains a strong proponent of gun rights.

In August, Mr Scalise said he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare but treatable form of blood cancer.

“The task before us is not without its challenges, but I believe in this Conference and our ability to come together and achieve great things,” he said in a letter announcing his bid on Wednesday.

As a member of leadership, Mr Scalise has a more sophisticated political operation than Mr Jordan but faces an uphill climb against the Trump-endorsed candidate.

However, Mr Gaetz has suggested either man would be a “monumental upgrade” over Mr McCarthy.

Kevin Hern, 61, is not as well-known as Mr Jordan or Mr Scalise but is said to be weighing a run for Speaker.

Mr Hern is a relative newcomer, first elected to the House in 2018 from Oklahoma.

He chairs the Republican Study Committee, a group with significant sway in promoting a conservative law-making agenda.

Born on an Air Force Base in Missouri, Mr Hern is a former aerospace engineer and McDonald’s franchisee, who owned 24 of the fast food chain’s restaurants in Oklahoma, according to his website.

Hard-liners in the House Freedom Caucus have reportedly pushed him to run for a leadership post, but his path to the 218 votes he needs to become Speaker remains unclear.

Holding the Speaker’s gavel instantly makes that person one of the most powerful people in Washington and second in the presidential line of succession.

But the US Constitution says little about who can fill the post, other than that the House “shall chuse [sic] their Speaker”.

Historians and legal experts broadly argue America’s founders likely assumed the person for the job would be drawn from among elected members.

And to date, every previous Speaker has been a member of the House from the majority party, but that hasn’t stopped several other names from coming up in races for Speaker.

In 2015, President Barack Obama joked with an audience that “Kanye [West] is thinking about running for Speaker of the House. It couldn’t get any stranger”.

As it did in January, Mr Trump’s name has come up in this Republican race for Speaker, with the backing of hard-right Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and others.

On Thursday, before endorsing Mr Jordan, the ex-president said on his Truth Social platform that he would “do whatever is necessary to help”.

In an interview with Fox News, he added that he would accept the role short-term to serve “as a unifier” until Republicans can find a longer-term option.

US media previously reported he may visit the Capitol – for the first time since before the January 6 attack – to address House Republicans during their candidate forum on Tuesday.

Fantasy booking aside, Mr Trump has too many enemies in Washington and almost certainly could not have won the votes to become Speaker.

Incidentally, the House Republican conference’s own rules state that those indicted on felony charges cannot serve in leadership.

Following the vote to oust Mr McCarthy on Tuesday, Patrick McHenry was appointed to hold the gavel in the interim.

Mr McHenry, 47, has represented North Carolina in Congress since 2005 and currently chairs the House Financial Services Committee.

The bowtie-wearing lawmaker is a top loyalist to Mr McCarthy and a deal-maker who played a key negotiating role during House Republicans’ debt ceiling showdown with the White House.

Two members of Republican leadership – Tom Emmer and Elise Stefanik – have said they are not running for Speaker.

But as the third and fourth-highest ranking House members in their party, either could emerge as a contender if the contest is prolonged.

However, there is very real discontent among the House Republican conference at present.

Many lawmakers – enough to hold significant sway in the race – have demanded a higher threshold for ousting a Speaker from power or some form of political punishment for the eight anti-McCarthy rebels before any vote is held.

“The injustice we all witnessed cannot go unaddressed – lest we bear responsibility for the consequences that follow,” a letter signed by 45 Republicans and released on Thursday reads.