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The U.S. House of Representatives has failed to elect a new speaker in six ballots across two days as a group of Republicans continues to oppose Representative Kevin McCarthy.
In the sixth ballot on Wednesday, Democratic Representative Hakeem Jeffries won 212 votes, McCarthy won 201, 20 Republicans voted for Representative Byron Donalds and Republican Representative Victoria Spartz voted "present."
That left McCarthy short of the required majority for a second day and it remains unclear whether he can make a deal with his GOP opponents to secure the speaker's chair.
Some Republicans may be looking to possible alternative candidates and one seemingly unlikely choice is former President Donald Trump, who is not a member of the House.
Republican Representative Lauren Boebert suggested that she could nominate Trump during an interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday. She had voted for Donalds on Wednesday and previously voted for Representative Jim Jordan on Tuesday.
"There are certainly names that have been floated around, and hey, maybe I should nominate President Donald J. Trump tomorrow," Boebert told Hannity.
That's a suggestion that has been floated by some of the former president's supporters in the past and it is technically possible for Trump to fill that role if a majority of those voting choose him.
Newsweek has contacted Boebert's and Trump's teams for comment.
Article I, Section 2, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution states: "The House of Representatives shall chuse [sic] their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment."
The Constitution does not specify that the speaker must actually be a member of the House and the Congressional Research Service emphasized that point in a 2021 report about elections for the speaker.
"Although the Constitution does not so require, the Speaker has always been a Member of the House," the report said, and outlined recent instances where non-members received votes.
The House will reconvene at noon on Thursday when a seventh ballot is expected. It is possible for Trump to receive a formal nomination from the floor. McCarthy, Jeffries and Donalds were all nominated in this way on Wednesday. It's also possible for members of the House to say Trump's name during the roll call vote.
Bookmakers Betfair, which operates the world's largest online betting site, told Newsweek on Thursday that they were offering odds of 33/1 on Trump becoming speaker.
McCarthy remains the favorite but Republican Representative Steve Scalise, who has been discussed as a potential alternative, is also in the running.
"It looks like a two-horse race between Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise to be the next House speaker," said Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom.
"McCarthy is the 4/6 favorite after being endorsed by Donald Trump on social media, while the former US president is 33/1 to be the House speaker. McCarthy's closest competition appears to be Scalise, who is 2/1 to win the race," Rosbottom said.
A vote for Trump would be unusual but not completely without precedent.
Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth received one vote in the 2021 and 2019 speaker elections, while former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams also received one vote in 2019.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell received a single vote in both speaker elections in 2015. In the first of those 2015 elections, votes were also cast for Republican Senator Rand Paul and then Republican Senator Jeff Sessions.
While Trump could legally become speaker, it would require a majority of those voting to agree. The 212 Democrats are extremely unlikely to support the idea, while the House GOP is currently divided between those who back McCarthy and those who have supported potential alternatives.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more