Breaking News: House Republicans Set to Cast Crucial Vote for Speaker Nomination

House Republicans will convene on Tuesday morning to select a new speaker nominee out of a large pool of candidates. However, it remains uncertain whether any contender can secure the necessary 217 votes to ultimately become the speaker.

The voting process will occur privately through a secret ballot. This comes after Representative Jim Jordan was removed following three unsuccessful floor votes. Currently, there are eight Republicans in the running. With former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s removal causing a legislative standstill, the pressure on House Republicans is mounting three weeks later.

Among several contenders, members will cast a series of secret ballots, and the candidate with the lowest number of votes in each round will be eliminated from the race. The winning candidate must have the backing of the majority of the conference.

However, it’s important to note that obtaining a majority in the conference is a lesser challenge compared to winning the position on the floor, which requires a majority of the full chamber. Due to deep divisions within the conference and the narrow majority held by the GOP, the nominee will face a challenging path to victory.

Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, currently serving as the majority whip, is considered the frontrunner in the race. Emmer has received early support from McCarthy, giving his campaign a boost. Nevertheless, Emmer may encounter difficulties as some supporters of former President Donald Trump have voiced criticism against his candidacy due to his vote to certify the 2020 election.

When asked about his relationship with Trump, Emmer stated, “We have a good relationship,” as he left a GOP conference meeting on Monday night, according to CNN.

The other candidates include Representatives Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Byron Donalds of Florida, Austin Scott of Georgia, Gary Palmer of Alabama, Jack Bergman of Michigan, and Pete Sessions of Texas.

Republicans gathered on Monday for a closed-door candidate forum. Representative Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, who was also a contender, withdrew his bid.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas expressed his concerns to CNN’s Manu Raju on Monday, stating, “It’s going to be very difficult, but we have to get there,” when asked about the possibility of no candidate obtaining 217 votes on the floor.

Learn more about the ongoing race for House speaker here.