Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, confirmed Sunday that he will challenge House Majority leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the House.
“The American people want a fresh face and a fresh new person,” said McCarthy Sunday. “I am announcing my intention to run for speaker of the House of Representatives. We were entrusted by the American people with the largest majority the Republicans have ever had since Babe Ruth was swinging a baseball bat.”
“But they didn’t send us here to perpetuate the status quo,” he said. “They want us to tackle the tough issues … they want us to fight. They want us to take that fight to the Senate, they want us to take that fight to the president and they want us to take that fight to the American people.”
Chaffetz made the announcement on Fox News Sunday and will join McCarthy and Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., in the race. The Republicans are scheduled to hold leadership elections Oct. 8.
Chaffetz said that heir apparent McCarthy does not have the votes from the conservative members in the House. He said he had been recruited to run, but would support whomever was the eventual nominee.
“In the speaker’s role, you’ve got to speak. You’ve got to be able to articulate the Republican message to the American people, and take that fight to the president, but you also have to bridge internally, and that’s where we’ve got some conflict going on right now,” said Chaffetz.
“Kevin McCarthy’s a good man. He’s a big reason why we have such a solid majority,” said Chaffetz. In highly criticized remarks the first few days after House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation, McCarthy said the committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attacks had hurt Democrat Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers.
Chaffetz said that “things have changed” for McCarthy and he has “a math problem” because he will be unable to get the conservative votes needed to win the speakership.
“You need 218 votes on the floor of the House. There are 246 Republicans that will vote,” said Chaffetz. “But there are nearly 50 people, a growing number, that will not and cannot vote for Kevin McCarthy as the speaker on the floor. He’s going to fall short on the floor of the House.”
Nearly 80 Republicans belonging to the House Freedom Caucus, led by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the Tea Party Caucus, and the Conservative Opportunity Society, who have opposed much of House Speaker John Boehner’s agenda, have announced that they will interview the candidates for speaker Tuesday.
Chaffetz signalled his awareness of the conservative opposition, and said that “just giving automatic promotions to the current leadership team” doesn’t signal change to the American people.
Chaffetz defeated a Republican incumbent in 2008 as a conservative primary challenger, but lost the support of many of the more conservative members when he stripped Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., of his subcommittee chairmanship after he defied party leadership.
In a “Dear Colleague” letter circulated to members as part of his bid for the speakership, Chaffetz promised that he would be “an effective communicator.” He also said he would restore regular order to the House, and allow amendments to come to the floor, two top priorities for conservative members.
“I came to Congress to help fix problems, and as speaker I will fight every day to make that happen,” Chaffetz said in a statement. “I look forward to sharing my vision for the speakership with my colleagues and the American people.”
