Chaos engulfs House Republicans as they rush to find a speaker and avoid a government shutdown

When far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) triggered a "motion to vacate" and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) was ousted as House speaker on October 3, Gaetz was hoping that someone more to his liking would take over the position. But three weeks later, the House was still without a speaker.

Gaetz supported Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for speaker, but Republicans searched for another nominee after Jordan — a very divisive and polarizing figure — failed three votes in a row. As of October 24, eight House Republicans were competing for the nomination.

In an article published by the Daily Beast, reporter Riley Rogerson stresses that the GOP's House majority remains in a state of chaos as another government shutdown looms.

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"Republicans are betting that, after three weeks of drama, the next person who wins the nomination will be able to get near-unanimous support — either through ascension, exhaustion, or some combination of the two," Rogerson reports. "At their candidate forum Monday evening, (October 23), the eight hopefuls pitched their vision of the speakership during a two-and-a-half-hour closed-door meeting…. With so many candidates in the race this time, it's easy to see how the process could introduce more bad blood into a process already tainted by the GOP's special brand of acrimony."

Rogerson notes that Republicans have less than a month to confirm a speaker, vote on appropriations and avoid a shutdown.

"If even just a few members feel the same," Rogerson observes, "Republicans could again be back to the drawing board. And even if Republicans agree on someone now, there's no guarantee that person will last very long."

The reporter continues, "Just 24 days until a government shutdown, the House GOP is betting it can pass a slate of appropriations bills and then miraculously force the Democratic Senate and the Democratic president to swallow their policies. And when that doesn't work out, without any reforms to the process that easily removed McCarthy, it might be a matter of weeks until Republicans are back in the same room hearing from more candidates."

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Read the Daily Beast's full report at this link (subscription required).