Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s shocking decision to withdraw from the race for speaker threw an already chaotic Republican caucus into complete disarray Thursday afternoon, prompting calls for a “caretaker” to get the House in order.
Several Republicans in the immediate aftermath of McCarthy’s announcement endorsed the idea — a veteran lawmaker with no intention of being speaker in the long term to run the House.
Even high-profile members like Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the House GOP’s campaign arm, said he was open to the concept and would even consider running for such a position. And Rep. Tom Price, who had been running for majority leader, fully endorsed the idea.
“People are now absorbing what happened and trying to decide: Do you need somebody in the short term?” Walden told reporters. “Do you need a speaker for the rest of this Congress to work on changing how this Congress operates in the interim period — or do you need somebody long term? The good news is we have a lot of talented members interested in doing this job.”
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