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WASHINGTON – House Republicans have begun to maneuver openly ahead of parliamentary elections in the House of Commons next week after months of maneuvering under radar as lawmakers prepare to return to the minority of the room for the first time since 2011.
For the time being, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., California) has remained in the minority leadership position after officially announcing that he will run for office on Wednesday. A few hours earlier, Ohio representative Jim Jordan, an influential Conservative, announced his intention to challenge McCarthy for the position.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), Who is retiring, encouraged McCarthy to succeed him, but Republican defeats in the House Tuesday could play against him in next week's election. if the GOP legislators decide that they want a new face. .
"Today is a tough day," McCarthy said in a letter to his colleagues announcing his candidacy. "I've helped to build a deeper majority than this one and I have what it takes to do it again." When he was elected, Mr. McCarthy declared that he "would be just as much an auditor as a leader."
Jordan, who announced in July that he would run for first place, said Wednesday that current Republican House leaders are not keeping their promises.
"In 2016, the American people elected Republicans to come here and change this city. I think the president is doing just that, but I do not think they see the same intensity on the part of members of Congress, members of the House of Representatives, "Jordan told Hill TV.
It is unlikely that Mr. Jordan will get the votes to be elected minority leader, but he could exert enough influence on the Conservatives to force the favorite to reach an agreement with him.
Steve Scalise (R., La.), GOP GOP Whip, could take on an even more daunting challenge for McCarthy. Although Scalise has said he supports McCarthy and announced on Wednesday that he plans to run for the position of Whip, he should enter the race at the top of the standings if McCarthy fails to get enough support. .
To be elected at the head of a minority, a legislator needs a majority of the votes cast during the secret ballot – a lower threshold than the Speaker, elected in the House. in January. McCarthy, who spent the last year crisscrossing the country to raise funds for legislators and GOP candidates for the House, is expected to convince Republicans in the House that they would have been worse Tuesday night without his efforts. Mr. Scalise has made similar efforts by raising $ 21.5 million during this election cycle and participating in 300 campaign events for candidates and GOP holders.
"Kevin's best shot is in the first or second round of the conference – it could be anyone's game," said Rep. Dennis Ross (R., Florida), who is retiring and will not be voting not next week. "Scalise is in the mix at this point."
Despite the split in Congress, three key issues could be common ground for Democrats and President Trump. Photo: Getty Images.
A central question is whether President Trump will participate in the race. Trump is closer to McCarthy than most other Republican lawmakers, but he also congratulated Scalise, especially after the whip was shot and seriously injured in June 2017.
If Mr. McCarthy quickly becomes the leader of the minority leadership position, Mr. Scalise will likely remain his substitute as a whip. But there could be changes in the next ranks of leadership.
Representative Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) Officially announced Wednesday her intention to become Chair of the House GOP Conference, a role that involves planning and coordinating legislators' messages on political and other issues.
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Washington State), the largest Republican woman in the House, has been in this position for four years.
"Last night did not go as we had hoped," said Ms. Cheney in a letter sent to House Republicans on Wednesday. "In order for us to triumph in this new environment, we must fundamentally reform and modernize our home GOP communications operations."
Representative Mark Walker (NC), currently head of the Republican Review Committee, made up of more than 150 conservative Republicans, announced on Wednesday that he plans to run as vice-president of the conference.
Walker said he wanted to encourage the party to be less responsive and reach out to communities where GOP lawmakers were not popular.
"We can not just just preach to the choir," he said in an interview. "I know that's where the path is the easiest, but how do we use our message to find new ideas?"
The current representative, Doug Collins (R., Ga.), Is expected to head the Republican position on the House Judiciary Committee. He is likely to face competition from Representative Steve Chabot (R., Ohio) for this position, which will be decided by the Steering Committee.
Write to Kristina Peterson at [email protected] and Natalie Andrews at [email protected]
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