At the end of the House’s third week without a speaker, nine House Republicans have announced their intention to contend for their chamber's top spot, according to New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a member of GOP leadership. She announced the candidates shortly after the conference’s noon deadline on Sunday. Republicans will vote among themselves on a nominee Monday night before their chosen candidate goes to the full House for a vote, where all but a few GOP votes will be necessary as Democrats are expected to continue voting unanimously for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Earlier this month, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy became the first speaker of the House to be removed in U.S. history. His No. 2, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, ran to replace him, but called it quits after it was clear he couldn’t get the 217 Republican votes he needed. Then, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan went to the House floor for three votes to elevate him to the speakership and failed each time.

The new candidates include the high-ranking majority whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general, and a second-term member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. Only one of the nine, Georgia Rep. Austin Scott, voted to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win on Jan. 6, 2021. The other eight voted to overturn the election.

What You Need To Know

  • Nine House Republicans have announced their intention to contend for their chamber's top spot, according to New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a member of GOP leadership

  • The House is approaching three weeks without a speaker. Problems and priorities are piling up for the House that cannot be attended to until a new speaker is elected

  • Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, Georgia Rep. Austin Scott, Michigan Rep. Jack Bergman, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson, Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser, Alabama Rep. Gary Palmer and Texas Rep. Pete Sessions threw their hats in the ring

  • Earlier this month, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy became the first speaker of the House to be removed in U.S. history
  • Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan both failed in their attempts to secure the speakership after McCarthy's ouster

Besides Scott and Emmer, Michigan Rep. Jack Bergman, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson, Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser, Alabama Rep. Gary Palmer and Texas Rep. Pete Sessions threw their hats in the ring, Stefanik said.

“Look, let’s be very clear: Our House right now, we’re having some issues,” said Donalds, the House Freedom Caucus member and Donald Trump ally, on Newsmax on Saturday. “We can repair those issues, but it requires us to be unified, number one, go back to business and secure our border, actually fund this government responsibly, and then continue to lay out that conservative vision for the people who sent us here.”

The chaos and uncertainty comes as problems and priorities are piling up for the House that cannot be attended to until a new speaker is elected. The stop-gap measure passed last month to keep the government funded only covers the country’s bills until Nov. 17, when the government will shut down if the House can’t reach another agreement. Biden has asked for $100 billion for the war in Israel and Gaza, the war in Ukraine and border security. And an impeachment inquiry into Biden announced during McCarthy’s tenure has floundered.

“The House of Representatives is in desperate need of a strong leader,” wrote Bergman, the retired Marine Corps lieutenant general, in a letter to the House GOP conference. “The mission of the 118th Congress is far from complete, and I’m ready to step up and take the lead with your support. I’m not trying to climb the ladder — just to steady it during this time.”

The dysfunction has contributed to Republicans’ plummeting poll numbers, with one CNN poll showing the House GOP’s disapproval rating is at its highest since 2012. On Saturday in Iowa, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, described his party’s congressional delegation as “chickens with their heads cut off” playing “political theater.” On Sunday, McCarthy called the situation “embarrassing.”

“Could you imagine if we were having this discussion right now, with the American government shutdown, with our troops in the Middle East wondering when they'll ever get paid again? Keeping the government open was the right decision to make and I'd make it again each and every day.” McCarthy said Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “Now the two men, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, they could have done the job of the speaker. Unfortunately the chaos has continued. We need to solve this problem.”

McCarthy offered his endorsement for Emmer, but did not rule out making another bid for speaker himself down the road, an option he has so far declined to pursue.

“This is not a time for a learning experience as speaker. Tom would be able to walk into the job and do it on day one,” he said.

In a letter to his colleagues, Emmer wrote the conference is “at a crossroads and the deck is stacked against us.”

“Each week has brought new challenges. But delivering historic change should not be easy,” Emmer wrote. “I will always be honest and direct with all of you, even if we disagree. I will never make a promise I cannot fulfill. I expect to be held accountable, and you can expect that we will also keep you to your word.”

While Emmer has leadership seniority and the backing of McCarthy and other key players, a pathway to 217 votes is still unclear and with a large slate of candidates, the likelihood of consensus is not something Republicans have been projecting confidence about.

“I’m very fond of saying that Congress is a lot like high school, but even more so,” Ohio Rep. Mike Turner, an influential 10-term Republican congressman, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. “Hopefully we’ll get past this.”