WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Friday were struggling to come to agreement on a new speaker after Majority Leader Steve Scalise dropped out of the race.
Here are the candidates who have declared their interest and some other possibilities.
IN: JIM JORDAN
Representative Jim Jordan was nominated by some Republican rebels to be speaker when they first picked one in January, and he received as many as 20 votes. Jordan had also previously challenged McCarthy in a race for minority leader in 2018.
Jordan, who represents a district in Ohio, is chair of the House Judiciary Committee, one of the three panels at the center of the impeachment inquiry into Democratic President Joe Biden. A firebrand, Jordan publicly sparred with Democrats over their investigations into then-President Donald Trump, who last week endorsed Jordan's bid.
IN: AUSTIN SCOTT
The Georgia lawmaker has kept a relatively low profile since being elected to Congress in 2010, focusing on military and agricultural issues. "If we as Republicans are going to be the majority, we have to do the right things the right way. And we're not doing that right now,” he told reporters on Friday.
POSSIBLE: PATRICK MCHENRY
Representative Patrick McHenry was named to step in as speaker pro tempore following Kevin McCarthy's ouster. Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, McHenry is a McCarthy ally who spoke in support of McCarthy before the ouster vote.
McHenry, from North Carolina, has said he does not want the job, but supporters may push him toward it if other candidates lose support.
POSSIBLE: KEVIN MCCARTHY
The former speaker has sent conflicting signals on whether he would seek a return, should other candidates fail to capture support from 218 lawmakers. He told reporters on Monday that he would accept the will of the caucus if it asked him, but Tuesday said he had asked members not to nominate him.
POSSIBLE: KEVIN HERN
Kevin Hern is chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative Republicans. He told reporters that several lawmakers have approached him to consider running and suggested that he would be open to it, but later confirmed he would not run. After Scalise's surprise dropout, his name is now back in the mix.
POSSIBLE: TOM COLE
The powerful Rules Committee chair has served since 2003, representing Oklahoma as one of only five Native Americans in Congress. He is widely considered a steady hand at the wheel and could gain support from Democrats if nominated.
However he has repeatedly tamped down talk of putting his name forward. When asked on Thursday if he wanted to be speaker, Cole laughed and responded, "Would you?"
OUT: STEVE SCALISE
The Louisiana lawmaker is widely respected in the caucus, particularly after he was severely wounded in a shooting during practice for a charity baseball game in 2017. He faced questions about his health, as he has been in treatment for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, since August.