GREENSBORO, N.C. — It happened for the first time in our country's history. On Tuesday, the U.S. House ousted speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. Speakers have stepped down in the past, but none has ever been voted out by a full House in the middle of a congressional term.
Who will be the next speaker? There are claims on social media that former President Donald Trump could be the new Speaker of the House. Could it happen?
“It's legal. The constitution says the House of Representatives shall choose a Speaker of the House. It does not have to be a member of the house. But it has never not been a member of the house,” said Thom Little, UNCG Political Science Professor.
2 Wants To Know looked at House practices in their guide book. Chapter 34 looks at the Office of the Speaker.
In Section three it talks about nominating a new speaker and it references the constitution.
The Speaker is the only House officer who traditionally has been chosen from the sitting membership. The constitution does not limit his selection from among that class, but the practice has been followed.
So, while legally it could happen, Little says it's just not really possible.
“There are enough Republicans who don’t care for Trump. You'd have to get 218 votes out of the 221 because there is no Democrat that will vote for that, so, it's not going to happen,” said Little.
As of when this article was published, Patrick McHenry from North Carolina is the acting speaker. His name should sound familiar as he used to represent Triad areas before redistricting sent him to the Mooresville and Hickory areas. Steve Scalise from Louisiana announced today he will run for speaker as did Jim Jordan of Ohio.