Boebert says she’s ‘willing to ditch’ motion to vacate if Jordan elected Speaker 

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said Thursday she is “willing to ditch” the House’s rules regarding the motion to vacate in order to support Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) bid for the Speakership.

The House Republican Conference implemented a rule in January that any one member can file a motion to vacate against the Speaker, though many are calling for that rule to change or be removed amid the challenges of changing leadership.

Boebert — who was one of the members who originally pushed for the rule change — said her interest in taking away the rule is part of her plan to get reluctant Republicans to back Jordan.

“There is a section of the conference that won’t vote for ANY Speaker until this rule is removed,” she said Thursday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “It is a mechanism based to ensure promises are kept by the Speaker. I’m willing to get rid of the rule if we get a Speaker who is trustworthy — and Jim Jordan is absolutely trustworthy.”

Previous House rules dictated that at least five members needed to join onto a motion to vacate the Speakership. Multiple GOP lawmakers have demanded that the new rule be changed before the next Republican leader is selected.

“The ability for one person to vacate the Speaker of the House will keep a chokehold on this body through 2024,” the House Main Street Caucus wrote in a statement Wednesday. “Personal politics should never again be used to trump the will of 96 percent of House conservatives.”

“Any candidate for Speaker must explain to us how what happened on Tuesday will never happen again,” they added.

On Monday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) filed a lone motion to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and was successful after seven other Republicans voted alongside the Democrats to remove him from the role.

It took McCarthy 15 votes to secure the gavel. After his ouster, the California Republican said he would not run again for the Speakership.

Jordan and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) are believed to be the two front-runner candidates to be the next Speaker.

The Ohio Republican is a member of the hard-line conservative Freedom Caucus alongside Boebert, while Scalise was seen to be a close McCarthy ally.