Five Fallback Candidates for Speaker If McCarthy Steps Aside

With Kevin McCarthy repeatedly failing to win his bid for US House speaker, even some of his Republican allies are looking for a possible successor.

(Bloomberg) — With Kevin McCarthy repeatedly failing to win his bid for US House speaker, even some of his Republican allies are looking for a possible successor.

The most obvious contenders have disclaimed interest, but that didn’t stop former Speaker Paul Ryan, who didn’t want the job either at first. In 2015, Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, ultimately took the post after McCarthy withdrew his candidacy under pressure from conservatives.

A handful of House Republicans are in position to step in should McCarthy throw in the towel this time around.

Here’s a look at potential fallback candidates for speaker.

Steve Scalise

As the No. 2 House Republican, Louisiana’s Scalise is literally the next in line should McCarthy withdraw. An effective fundraiser and communicator who has served as House minority whip since 2019, Scalise, 57, has the skill set the speaker relies on to cajole lawmakers into voting for the party’s goals. Scalise has also won contested leadership elections for chair of the conservative Republican Study Committee and his current post. Nationally, he’s best known for surviving a mass shooting during a 2017 practice for the annual charity congressional baseball game, the subject of his book Back in the Game.

Tom Cole

An experienced hand in Republican politics, Oklahoma’s Cole, 73, worked at the Republican National Committee before joining the House in 2003. He has been a member of the powerful Rules and Appropriations committees, served as deputy minority whip and chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee. While an unlikely choice, he could serve as a caretaker who keeps the House running while Republicans work out their internal divisions. A member of the Chickasaw Nation, he would be the first Native American speaker.

Patrick McHenry

A member of the House since 2005, North Carolina’s McHenry had his sights set on becoming chair of the House Financial Services Committee this term. In that post, the 47-year-old has trained his fire on regulations created under the Dodd-Frank Act passed after the 2008 financial crisis, particularly the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But he has served as chief deputy whip in the past, helping keep House Republicans in line on key party goals, an experience that would serve him well as speaker.

Elise Stefanik

The youngest Republican woman ever elected to Congress, Stefanik, 38, has quickly risen through the ranks by moving with the political tides. After being elected in 2014 by the voters of a northern New York district as a moderate conservative who had worked for President George W. Bush and Paul Ryan, she became an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, especially during his first impeachment. Stefanik’s loyalty helped position her to win the No. 3 spot in the House Republican conference in 2021, replacing Trump critic Liz Cheney.

Jim Jordan

A former college wrestling coach, Ohio’s Jordan takes a pugilistic approach to politics, using committee hearings and appearances on Fox News to grill Democratic officials, question whether social media companies are biased against conservatives and cast doubt on the 2020 election. A founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Jordan, 58, was a staunch defender of Trump, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom shortly before leaving office. As the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee, he had pledged to lead investigations into business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter.

–With assistance from Greg Giroux and David Baumann.

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