House Republicans are starting from scratch to select a new candidate for speaker after Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was voted out of the race.
At least eight people have emerged as potential candidates to lead the House immediately after a closed-door House GOP vote on whether to keep Jordan as speaker designate.
Republicans are expected to meet behind closed doors on Monday evening for a candidate forum before a conference-wide election via secret anonymous ballot on Tuesday.
Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern, R-Okla., was one of the first GOP lawmakers to put his hat in the ring on Friday afternoon.
‘We must unify and do it fast,’ Hern said in a statement. ‘We need a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I’m running for Speaker of the House.’
Retired Marine Corps General Jack Bergman, R-Mich., told Fox News Digital that he was also officially entering the race after fielding calls from ‘across the spectrum’ of the GOP asking him to run. ‘I don’t leave the battlefield in the middle of the fight, and I make sure that everybody on my left and right on that battlefield is coalesced as a team to win the fight,’ Bergman said in an interview.
‘I believe with my 40 years of experience, the highest level of leadership in the Marine Corps, my civilian experience… my dedication over my life to service and our country — not this country, our country — is the kind of leadership that the conservative movement needs.’
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who was named by GOP lawmakers on the House floor during Jordan’s bid, is also running for speaker, his office told Fox News Digital.
Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is also making calls to colleagues about a run for speaker, a source familiar with his plans told Fox News Digital.
Another source told Fox News Digital that another current member of leadership, GOP Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson, R-La., is also considering a run for speaker.
Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., who challenged Jordan in the House Republicans’ last secret ballot for speaker, is also back in the race, his spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Another lawmaker, Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, also announced his bid for speaker on Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, other lawmakers have suggested they are weighing whether to run. Republicans have until noon on Sunday to enter the race before Monday’s candidate forum.
Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, told reporters he was ‘seriously considering’ a run for speaker.
‘We’ve discussed it, and we were praying about it, and a number of members have asked us to consider it,’ Arrington said, speaking to reporters while on the phone with his wife.
