Republicans have floated the idea of expanding McHenry’s power to keep business moving in Congress while they pick a new speaker.
“It gives us a chance as Republicans to deescalate what has become a very emotional, difficult process of picking a Speaker,” Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) told The Hill earlier last week.
Since that conversation, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) ended his speaker bid on Friday after losing a third vote on the floor.
A majority of his fellow Republicans also voted in a closed-door, secret ballot to end his bid.
As Republicans return to Washington this week with a slate of new speaker candidates, McHenry — a close ally of ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — has made it clear he does not want to be speaker.
“It’s my goal to be talking to you at this time next Friday as chairman of the Financial Services Committee,” McHenry said.
McHenry passed up a path to House GOP leadership this year, opting instead to chair the House Financial Services Committee.
His reticence is precisely why he’s a good candidate, Flood said early last week.
“That was the interesting thing about Patrick McHenry…I don’t think he wants to do any of this. He’s not angling for this. And that’s what makes him a perfect choice to get us through this very tough page,” he said.
McCarthy put McHenry first on the list of replacements in case the speakership became vacant, which happened after eight Republicans joined with Democrats to oust McCarthy from the post earlier this month.
“I wanted somebody who had been a committee chair. I wanted somebody that wasn’t seeking the job…I wanted somebody that could work with all sides, and McHenry is ideal for all that,” McCarthy told reporters Thursday.
“If you watch him, he’s not seeking to be something. He believes in the continuity of government. He’s chairman of a substantial committee…He’s been here a number of years so he understands how things work. He has respect on both sides of the aisle.”
The Hill’s Sylvan Lane has more here.
