The chairman of the largest bloc of House GOP conservatives took himself out of the running for speaker on Saturday, telling Republican colleagues it was clear a three-person race wouldn’t be good for party unity.
House Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., said he’s spoken with all 221 Republican conference members after some had encouraged him to consider a run. After “prayerfully” considering those discussions, Hern decided it was best to stay out of the race, which is largely between Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
“House Republicans must unify — and do it fast,” Hern wrote in his letter to Republicans posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It’s clear to me that a three-man race for Speaker will only draw this process out longer, creating further division which would make it harder for any candidate to reach 217 votes.”
