Congresswoman Carol Miller, R-W.Va., says she’ll support whichever candidate for House Speaker comes out of a closed-door conference with enough votes to win.-
“What happens in conference stays in conference. I think we have two wonderful candidates,” Miller said today on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”
The two candidates so far are representatives Steve Scalise, R-La., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. They’re in the mix after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the speaker’s position last week following a vote to vacate the chair.
Scalise came out of a closed door Republican session on Wednesday as the potential nominee, but he only got 113 votes in that session while he would need 217 to actually be selected as speaker. Jordan got 99. The margin was so narrow and the situation so unsettled that a planned floor vote was put off.
This is all happening while the clock ticks on a delayed federal funding issue that still could lead to a shutdown in November. Aid to Israel and Ukraine are also up in the air while the House is paralyzed with no speaker in place.
Miller said Scalise earned her support in the moment because she wants to be united with the rest of the Republican conference.
“There was a vote in conference yesterday, and Steve Scalise won that so at this point, he’s my candidate,” Miller said.
She added, “We will go back into conference today and Lord knows what happens before we go out on the House floor.”
It took McCarthy 13 rounds of votes earlier this year to finally secure enough support to be named speaker.
“I’m really kind of glad we’re doing it behind closed doors instead of standing there in our underwear for the world to watch like we did last time,” Miller said.
Scalise, currently the majority leader for Republicans in the House, has been second in command to McCarthy until this point. He led the conservative Republican Study Committee in the House. Scalise was the subject of a national news story in 2017 when he was shot and injured during practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. He has been undergoing treatment for a blood cancer known as multiple myeloma.
Jordan is the hardline Freedom Caucus founder, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and an outspoken ally of former President Trump.
He chairs the recently created Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. He has been sharply critical of prosecution of Trump and a network of allies in Fulton County, Ga., over activities related to the 2020 presidential election. And he has accused social media companies of conspiring with the Biden Administration to suppress right-wing speech online.
Jordan was among four GOP congressmen referred to the bipartisan House Ethics Committee for defying a Jan. 6 committee subpoena for testimony and documents.
Alex Mooney, West Virginia’s other Republican congressman, has said he would support Jordan.
“Jim is a proven conservative fighter who has led the battle against out-of-control government spending since he was first elected,” Mooney, R-W.Va., said last week in a statement.
“Jim is a true American patriot who will always put our country first. As Judiciary Chair, he has been on the front lines fighting back against the weaponized Department of Justice that is witch-hunting President Trump and conservatives. There is no one I trust more to lead the House as we work to pass government spending plans and hold President Biden accountable for his abuses of power.”