Who will be the next Speaker of the House after Kevin McCarthy was ousted?
Congress has voted to oust Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Among the many pressing questions now is, who will replace him?
Republican Kevin McCarthy has become the first speaker of the House of Representatives to be ousted in the history of the United States. It is also the first time Congress has voted to remove the speaker since 1910.
The House vote came after Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced the motion to remove McCarthy from his post. The vote was 216-210 to vacate the speakership, with eight Republicans voting alongside Democratic representatives in favor of McCarthy’s removal.
READ ALSO: Speakers of the House who have faced ouster
Who were the Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy?
The eight Republican representatives who voted to remove McCarthy were Andy Biggs of Arizona; Ken Buck of Colorado; Tim Burchett of Tennessee; Eli Crane (Arizona), Matt Gaetz (Florida), Bob Good (Virginia), Nancy Mace (South Carolina) and Matt Rosendale, Montana representative.
READ ALSO: House Speaker McCarthy very likely to be voted out of office
Who will be the next Speaker of the House after Kevin McCarthy was ousted?
First, a temporary speaker will take over. Patrick McHenry has been appointed as interim speaker and he will lead both the Republican caucus and the House until McCarthy’s replacement is chosen.
Although the position of House Speaker has been declared vacant, this does not immediately trigger an election to choose a new one. This is because there is a succession list that McCarthy presented to the secretary of the House in January.
Since 2003, House rules have required the speaker to submit a list of names to the membership clerk for action if the seat becomes vacant.
Under Rule I, Clause 8 of the House Rules, the next person on that list “shall act as Speaker pro tempore until the election of a new Speaker or Speaker pro tempore.”
House rules do not establish how long the Speaker pro tempore can remain in power before Congress votes on a new person for the post.
The House could proceed directly to the election or decide to hold it later so that legislative business can continue. House Republicans will meet behind closed doors to talk about what happens next, according to NBC News. There is no clear replacement for McCarthy at the moment.