Rep. Jason Chaffetz said Monday that he is running for House speaker because Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy so far lacks the votes to win.
“Kevin McCarthy has a math problem,” Chaffetz, R-Utah, said Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “There are 246 Republicans, you need 218 votes on the floor of the House to actually win the speakership, but unfortunately I think he’s shy of the 218 and I’m just offering myself as an alternative to bridge that gulf and bring this party together.”
Chaffetz, who is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, announced his bid for speaker on “Fox News Sunday.”
He jumped into the race after criticizing McCarthy’s flubbed interview on Fox regarding the House Select Committee on Benghazi. McCarthy, who later apologized for the flub, said during the interview that the Benghazi panel has hurt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers, suggesting the committee serves a political purpose.
Chaffetz indicated he sympathized with McCarthy for what he said was a mistake.
“It was a terrible mistake, but it was a mistake,” Chaffetz said. “Kevin normally doesn’t do that. That’s not who he is. It was unfortunate. It was wrong. He’s apologized for it. I believe him. We have to move on.”
House Republicans will meet at noon on Thursday, Oct. 8, to vote for a new speaker. The winner must earn 125 votes among Republicans, which is a simple majority.
In addition to Chaffetz and McCarthy, Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., is running for the top spot. The candidate who wins on Thursday must be elected by the full House by 218 votes, a much higher hurdle than on Thursday.
Chaffetz is lobbying to win over the conservatives who are least likely to vote for McCarthy by pledging a more inclusive approach to governing the House. Conservatives say among their top issues is eliminating the “top down” leadership style that involves the speaker and majority leader setting the agenda and requiring the rank-and-file to follow along. Chaffetz promised to end that approach.
“I don’t expect to put bills on the floor that I would vote for,” Chaffetz said on the show. “I want to put bills on the floor that might fail. We shouldn’t have everything pre-baked. Let the will of the body speak. That’s what Congress is supposed to do. Put those bills out there; if they fail, they fail. Bring them back to the committee and try to fix them to get to the majority and then push it to Senate.”
Chaffetz also promoted his skills as an articulate GOP messenger, a trait some believe McCarthy lacks.
“I’m arguing that one of my strong suits is actually going on camera and going before the media and making the case to the American people,” Chaffetz said.
