Report: Hardliners’ Speaker Pick Won’t Commit Support To Eventual Nom

Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla. speaks to a reporter as he leaves a House Republican special leadership election meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, to replace House Speaker John Boehner of Ohi... Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla. speaks to a reporter as he leaves a House Republican special leadership election meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, to replace House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, who is stepping down, and retiring from Congress, at the end of the month, after nearly five years in the role. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is the front-runner in the race to become the next speaker, but he faces two Republican opponents who are trying to draw some of his support. Four-term Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and three-term Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida both say they can bring a needed fresh perspective to GOP leadership, unlike McCarthy, who has served as majority leader under Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL), the conservative lawmaker the House Freedom Caucus endorsed ahead of Thursday’s GOP speaker nomination conference, told his colleagues at a closed door meeting Thursday morning that he would not commit his support to the eventual GOP nominee for speaker, Politico reported.

Anonymous sources in the meeting told Politico Webster said his stance was out of “personal principle,” however other members of the caucus have said they would support Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) if he became the nominee.

McCarthy is considered the top contender in Thursday’s closed-door nomination contest, which is only among Republicans. However, if the eventual nominee cannot get enough of the conservatives to support him for the full House vote later this month — where 218 votes are needed — it could set the stage for a protracted leadership fight.

Latest Livewire
21
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. And thus the once-proud GOP continues to crumble into ashes.

  2. Um…if you want to be a man of principle, I’d go somewhere other than Congress.

  3. Louie Gohmert plans casting a protest vote for Vlad Pooty. Or the Don Esquis guy—
    “His friends call him by his name, his enemies don’t call him anything because they are all dead.”

  4. Just what we guessed, these clowns are all talk, no walk. They are just children pitching a fit, engaging in the media equivalent of throwing themselves down in the Capitol Rotunda and screaming… “look at me!!!”

  5. Boehner’s cocktail never tasted so good to him as it does now.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

15 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for lestatdelc Avatar for paulw Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for berkshire_boy Avatar for humpback Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for navamske Avatar for cwazycajun Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for sandyh Avatar for inversion Avatar for theghostofeustacetilley Avatar for ottnott Avatar for jcblues

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: