Most of the House Republicans contending for the role of the Speaker signed a pledge on Saturday, with the primary goal of preventing the same vote-counting issues that hindered previous bids by Representatives Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan.
With seven candidates vying for the position, a Sunday deadline looming, and the Republican Party in yet another frenzy to determine their next speaker, nearly three weeks following the removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the top leadership role. Of these candidates, five have officially committed to a written plan aimed at guaranteeing that the next Speaker-designate can secure the support of 217 votes on the House floor.
A straightforward two-paragraph pledge, led by Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska, calls for voting “yes” on the House Republican conference-endorsed candidate in the initial secret-ballot election scheduled for Tuesday. To gain more commitments, Flood is mobilizing a group of Republicans who will only pledge their support to candidates if they, in turn, encourage their backers to sign the pledge.
This strategy gained rapid traction on Saturday, with several speakership contenders, including Reps. Austin Scott (Georgia), Mike Johnson (Louisiana), Pete Sessions (Texas), Jack Bergman (Michigan), and Kevin Hern (Oklahoma), who also serves as the chair of the Republican Study Committee, signing the pledge. The only announced candidates not yet in support of the pledge are Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, while some conservative House Freedom Caucus allies are actively opposing it.
Lawmakers have until Sunday at noon to formally declare their candidacy, followed by a candidate forum on Monday night and a GOP Conference vote on Tuesday morning.
In a Saturday morning post, Emmer vowed to “always be honest and direct” with every Republican lawmaker and to “never make a promise I cannot fulfill.” the House Republicans
“Our conference remains at a crossroads and the deck is stacked against us,” Emmer warned.
Johnson also issued a lengthy dear colleague letter Saturday, listing his priorities if elected, including rebuilding trust and engaging more individual lawmakers in the policymaking process.