Boehner: House to elect new speaker October 29

On MSNBC Chaffetz indicated there are 246 representative Republicans and it takes 218 votes on the floor to actually win the speakership.

The current House speaker announced on September 25 that he would resign from Congress at the end of October.

The representative does not now believe that presumed frontrunner Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has enough votes to secure the nomination in Thursday’s scheduled vote. “That’s why Republicans who gave us the biggest majority since Babe Ruth are frustrated with us”. “That doesn’t signal change”. “I can’t – it’s not my job to tell them”.

When he made his campaign official on Sunday, Chaffetz insisted he was being recruited by fellow Republicans and he wanted to “bridge the divide” inside the GOP conference.

But that dynamic began to shift, particularly following McCarthy’s gaffe last week suggesting that the objective of a special House committee investigating the deadly 2012 attacks on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, was to drive down Hillary Rodham Clinton’s poll numbers.

This is a critical moment for the GOP.

In a column that was circulated among House Republicans on Friday, Peggy Noonan from the Wall Street Journal was brutal, writing: “Mr. McCarthy is well-liked in the House, a veteran said to be a natural lover of the nuts and bolts”.

His congressional investigations have raised Chaffetz’s prominence but also drawn criticism. The current House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, had been seen as a shoo-in for the spot.

Scalise says he has votes: Rep. Steve Scalise is telling House members he’s got the votes to be the next majority leader locked up.

What happens on the floor?

Despite Chaffetz making a lot of noise over the last few days, his announcement that he’s running for Speaker of the House will likely get lost in a chorus of political noise in the coming weeks. But is McCarthy change enough?

Jordan, who has denied requests from Freedom Caucus members to run for speaker himself, wants members to unite as a bloc behind a candidate, rather than peel off separately.

Chaffetz won election in 2008 by toppling incumbent Republican Chris Cannon in a runoff, despite endorsements from President George W. Bush and most of the state’s political establishment.

The vote to elect the GOP candidate for speaker is set for Thursday. That’s when conservatives will have their leverage, because McCarthy can lose only 29 votes to come out the victor.

His public blunder started conversations among members that were below the surface.

“This is like all the other groups”, McCarthy told CNN.

“Kevin’s record in Congress demonstrates a rare combination of principle, leadership, and effectiveness”. I have no doubt that his experience and skills make him the best choice for speaker.-Rep.

“The answer is yes”, McCarthy responded.

Boehner got re-elected, but not without a scare, and he responded by stripping Webster of his only powerful post, a seat on the Ways and Means Committee.

Chaffetz chairs the high-profile House Oversight and Government Reform Committee while Webster, who has unsuccessfully challenged Boehner in the past, already has a handful of endorsements from conservatives.

He also said McConnell was wrong to say there would be no government shutdowns on Republicans’ watch.

And for several dozen (or even more) House Republicans, opposing what their party leadership wants has become very good politics.

Both men are trying to show they’d be different than Boehner. Many are wondering if this could set the tone for McCarthy to take a tougher stance on conservative issues than Boehner did.