House GOP chaos continues as nine Republicans enter speaker race: Live

Welcome to the House Republican Thunderdome and Day 20 without a speaker of the House.

After the House Republican conference summarily booted Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH) in a secret ballot after he failed on a third attempt to become speaker, a veritable horde of Republicans threw their names in the ring to become the top dog.

So far, nine Republicans have announced their candidacies for speaker: Reps Kevin Hern (R-OK); Mike Johnson (R-LA), an ardent social conservative and opponent of abortion; House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN); Austin Scott (R-GA), who staged a Potemkin challenge against Mr Jordan that revealed the Ohio Republican’s weakness; Dan Meuser (R-PA); Gary Palmer (R-AL); Pete Sessions (R-TX); Jack Bergman (R-MI); and Byron Donalds (R-FL).

Each of these candidates has certain benefits and drawbacks. As House majority whip, Mr Emmer is probably the favourite given his deep ties to fundraisers and the fact he supported many of the freshmen in swing districts. But his vote to certify the 2020 presidential election results probably makes him dead on arrival for the MAGA wing of the GOP (and the same goes for Mr Scott). Denying the results of the 2020 presidential election and fealty to Donald Trump has become as much of a core tenet for the GOP as tax cuts and restricting abortion.

He remains the temporary leader of the House until the party nominates and elects Mr McCarthy’s replacement.

As a close ally of Mr McCarthy, he has often served as a liaison between conservatives and leadership.

He also has a strong enough relationship with Democrats, both on the committee he leads and with the White House, and recently played a key role in negotiations with the Biden administration on raising the debt ceiling.

He is one of only a handful of House Republicans who did not vote to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

While this might make him a possible favourite for Democrats and some moderate Republicans, this bipartisanship could hurt him with hardline Republicans.

As chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Mr McHenry has significant contacts with the financial industry and top donors.

Dan Meuser, a representative of Pennsylvania, was elected to Congress in 2018. Prior to his election, he served as the Secretary of Revenue in Pennsylvania.

He has a business-heavy background having been the president of a motorised wheelchair manufacturer company and indicated he would use this to his advantage if he were elected to speaker.

“I come from the business world, and I plan to bring, if I run, a business perspective to things and gain consensus,” Mr Meuser told reporters after Mr Jordan dropped out of the race.

He voted to reject 2020 election results in Pennsylvania and against bringing articles of impeachment against Mr Trump.

Texas Rep. Pete Sessions announced on 21 October that he was officially seeking the speakership.

Mr Sessions is currently the speaker candidate with the most experience in Congress. He was first elected in 1997 and held a seat in the House until 2018 when he was defeated by a Democrat.

He then ran to represent another district in 2020 and won.

He sits on the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Mr Sessions has stirred controversy throughout his career, notably by his alleged connection to the Trump-Ukraine scandal in 2018 when he was identified in an indictment.

Louisiana Rep Mike Johnson was first elected to Congress in 2016.

For two years he was chair of the Republican Study Committee and in 2021 year became the vice chair of the House Republican Conference.

Mr Johnson is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and on the Committee of the Judiciary.

Prior to joining Congress, Mr Johnson may be remembered for proposing a controversial bill in Louisiana that could have allowed the state to withhold a bevy of state benefits from a person based on their views on the institution of marriage.

When announcing his bid, Mr Johnson laid out a seven-step plan on key commitments he believes are part of being Speaker.

Jack Bergman, a representative of Michigan, said he would try and unite the GOP party by making a bid for the speakership.

Mr Bergman, 76, was first elected to the House in 2017. He’s a veteran of the US Marines who sits on the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

He appeals to more mainstream conservatives as an experienced lawmaker with a low tolerance for big egos.

However, he may appeal to far-right conservatives with his record of supporting Mr Trump. He voted against certifying 2020 election results and bringing articles of impeachment against Mr Trump for inciting an insurrection.

Mr Bergman voted for Mr McCarthy earlier this year and for Mr Jordan in all three of his vote rounds.

He said he was prepared to vote for Mr Scalise when he was Speaker Designate.

Rep Gary Palmer of Alabama is the number five Republican in the House, a member of the House Freedom Caucus and the longtime chairman of the Republican Policy Committee. He was elected to Congress in 2014.

Though he shares similar political stances as his far-right colleagues, Mr Palmer tends to keep a lower profile making him a potential candidate to appeal to both far-right and more moderate factions.

Mr Palmer was at the Capitol on January 6 and condemned rioters for their actions. However, he still voted against certifying the 2020 election results.

He is a supporter of Mr Trump and has released statements defending the former president after his indictments.

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds joined the running for the speakership on Friday.

Mr Donalds was elected to the House in 2020 and swiftly joined the far-right House Freedom Caucus.

He is a loyal Trump supporter and voted to object to election certification results in Arizona and Pennsylvania in 2020.

In January, Mr Donalds was nominated by his colleague Chip Roy to take on Mr McCarthy in his speaker race. Mr Donalds received support from 20 House GOP members but ultimately supported Mr McCarthy when he made concessions to the House Freedom Caucus.

In a surprise move, Austin Scott, a representative from Georgia, has thrown his hat in the ring.

Mr Scott, who was elected to the House in 2011, is an ally of Mr McCarthy and supported him through his tense election and defended him when he was ousted.

He is a staunch conservative who opposes same-sex marriage, abortion and gun control.

He also voted against bringing articles of impeachment for former president Donald Trump after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

However, unlike his far-right colleagues, he did not support Mr Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and voted to certify the Electoral College results on 7 January 2021.

Rep Jim Jordan’s exit came on the 17th day that the House of Representatives has not had a speaker after Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) filed a motion to vacate Mr McCarthy along with seven other Republicans and every Democrat.

Rep Nancy Mace (R-SC), who voted to vacate Mr Jordan, decried Mr Jordan’s exit.

“I think it is bull****,” she told The Independent. “They want to say that we have no plan, Jim Jordan was a good plan.”

Ms Mace criticised the fact that a large amount of Republicans just voted for Mr Jordan on the floor and then voted to oust him in a secret ballot.

“They just knifed him in secret in a backroom deal in the basement of the Capitol,” she said. “It’s disgusting.”