"When Asked 'Did Trump Win the 2020 Presidential Election?' Republican House Speaker Candidates Break a Sweat"

On the 10th, Candidate's Policy Statement Responses Draw Attention
Need to Persuade Hardline Conservative and Moderate Lawmakers
Careful Remarks Needed to Secure House Majority Vote

As the U.S. Republican Party is undergoing the candidate selection process for the next Speaker of the House, conservative candidates are cautiously making statements to win over both hardline and moderate voters. To become Speaker, a candidate must secure the 'magic number' of 217 votes, which constitutes a majority of the seats. Currently, it appears difficult to secure this number, leading to a cautious approach.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

According to the U.S. political media outlet Politico on the 10th (local time), during a closed-door candidate presentation held by the Republicans that afternoon, Representative Jim Jordan (Ohio, 59), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Steve Scalise, Republican House Majority Leader (Louisiana, 57), gave ambiguous answers when asked whether they believed former President Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election.

When clear answers did not come from the two candidates, another representative immediately asked a similar question, but again, no clear response was given.

Both Jordan and Scalise voted against certifying the victory of current President Joe Biden in January 2021. They are both considered more conservative than former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was removed from his position. In particular, Jordan is a founding member of the hardline group 'Freedom Caucus,' which led the so-called 'rebellion' to remove McCarthy and enjoys strong support from the Republican hardliners.

Given this situation, there is significant concern within the Republican Party, especially among moderate members, about who is suitable to be Speaker. Currently, there are about 18 moderate Republicans. One Republican present at the candidate presentation said that both candidates were "trying to secure support from both sides (politically)."

Republican candidate for the next Speaker of the House, Representative Jim Jordan (right in the photo), and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The reason for their cautious attitude is that even if they are selected as the Republican candidate for Speaker, they must still pass the overall House vote. The seat gap between the Republicans (221) and Democrats (212) is not large, and about 20 hardliners within the Republican Party could disrupt the election. Foreign media assess that even if the Republicans nominate a candidate, there is no guarantee that the candidate will secure the majority of 217 votes to be elected.

In fact, the reason why it took 15 rounds of voting for McCarthy to become Speaker in January was due to opposition from hardliners within the Republican Party. During this process, McCarthy accepted a proposal allowing a single representative to unilaterally submit a motion to remove the Speaker, which eventually led to him becoming the first Speaker in history to be removed.

Conscious of this situation, a question was raised at the event asking the two candidates whether they would support the opposing candidate if they lost. Scalise immediately answered that he would. Jordan initially gave an ambiguous answer, saying, "I will support whoever can get 217 votes." Only after being directly asked if he would support Scalise if Scalise became the candidate did he respond, "I will."

The Republican Party plans to hold an internal vote for the next Speaker candidate on the morning of the 11th. Many Republican members expect that neither candidate will secure a majority in this vote, leading to multiple rounds of voting. Politico reported, "What is clear is that neither candidate has secured near-unanimous support within the Republican Party necessary to secure the Speakership."

Meanwhile, the Democrats selected House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York) as their Speaker candidate in just seven minutes that evening. Since the Speaker is decided by a majority vote of all House members, the majority party generally produces the Speaker.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.