‘CRITICAL MOMENT’
In a field lacking household names, the clubhouse favourite is now majority whip Tom Emmer, the Republican number three, who is respected as a valuable fundraiser and is the establishment choice.
But allies of former president Donald Trump are vehemently opposed to the Minnesota Republican, who is among only two of the nine speakership candidates who voted to certify Biden’s 2020 election victory and is seen as insufficiently loyal.
Trump – who backed Jordan – told reporters ahead of a campaign event in New Hampshire that he had spoken to Emmer over the weekend, but did not plan to endorse him.
“I spoke to Mr Emmer, I spoke to a lot of congressmen. They called me up and they all called asking for support. And of course, I have to hold it for a while. I have a lot of friends that are looking at it right now,” Trump said.
Underscoring the dysfunction plaguing the party, the crisis has left Congress unable to respond to Biden’s request for US$106 billion in emergency funding – mainly military aid for Ukraine and Israel in their wars with Russia and Hamas.
And the government will shut down – with hundreds of thousands of workers sent home without pay – unless lawmakers can approve the 2024 federal budget by Nov 17.
“At a critical moment when our allies are looking to us for leadership … House Republicans are making a mockery of our government and embarrassing the country on the world stage,” said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika.
Hopefuls are slated for two-minute speeches at the candidate forum – a private, closed-door Republican meeting – followed by a 90-minute Q&A segment and one-minute closing speeches.
They begin voting in secret ballots on Tuesday, with the lowest candidate eliminated each round until there is only one left. No House floor vote has yet been scheduled.
Source: CNA
