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House Speaker Candidates Withdraw from Planned Fox News Interview Amidst GOP Blowback

In a significant turn of events, the two leading Republican candidates for House Speaker, Rep. Jim Jordan and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, have pulled out of a joint interview on Fox News that was scheduled for next week. This decision comes shortly after the announcement was made and in the midst of strong opposition from GOP lawmakers. It is yet another indication of the simmering tensions within the Republican conference as they urgently seek a new leader following Kevin McCarthy’s unexpected ouster.

The cancellation of the joint interview was confirmed by a source familiar with the matter, revealing that Jordan and Scalise had a conversation where they agreed that it would not be advisable to proceed with the forum. As a result, the event has been called off. Fox News, the network that initially announced the interview, has not yet commented on the situation.

The idea of a televised joint interview received criticism from Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, who argued that the debate regarding the next House Speaker should remain an internal matter among Republicans, rather than being broadcast on television. Gimenez expressed his discontent, calling the idea “horrible,” and started to question the judgment of the candidates, stating that if they believed it was a good idea, it indicated a lack of understanding of the conference’s pulse. This sentiment was shared by others, including Gimenez himself, who admitted that he was now having second thoughts about the candidates and their decision-making.

A spokesperson for Jordan clarified that the Ohio Republican would only participate in the event after addressing the conference first since there is a scheduled meeting for Tuesday. Similarly, a representative for Scalise stated that the majority leader would not be taking part in the interview. According to an insider, Scalise initially declined the invitation but was informed that Jordan and Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma had already committed to participating.

The cancellation of the Fox News interview came amidst mounting anger from several House Republicans who were infuriated by the decision to hold a televised interview before consulting the GOP conference. Lawmakers expressed their frustration to the speaker candidates and criticized the move, with one describing it as “insanity” and another claiming that it would turn the speaker’s race into a “circus.” The backlash received internally might result in the event being completely scrapped. However, there were a few voices of support for the idea, such as Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, who argued that the Republican base should have the opportunity to hear from the candidates during this crucial time for the party.

The Republican conference has been engulfed in an unconventional speakership race following McCarthy’s removal in a floor vote. The involvement of former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Jordan, has added an unprecedented element of outside influence to the race. As both Jordan and Scalise attempt to position themselves as the consensus candidate, they are now facing pushback from the moderate Republicans within the conference. These moderates hold significant sway over the outcome of the speakership vote, as they are uneasy about the conservative politics of both candidates and remain resentful towards their hardline faction for ousting McCarthy.

The interim speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry, has announced that there will be an update on the conference’s schedule for next week later in the day, indicating the ongoing uncertainty and fluidity of the situation.

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