AUGUSTA, Maine — As the U.S. House of Representatives remains without a speaker, one Democrat said Maine’s junior senator has been floated as an option for the top post.
U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, is almost certainly not going to be the next speaker, but it is a sign of the House discord that saw U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, fail again Wednesday to win enough votes to lead the chamber.
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, said Tuesday evening on MSNBC the former Maine governor is among those Democrats have mentioned in private discussions as potential consensus picks. The House has been at a standstill for more than two weeks since conservative hardliners moved to oust U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, as speaker.
Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, also said former Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican who lost her reelection bid last year after the GOP had dumped her for criticizing ex-President Donald Trump, and Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who is not seeking reelection in 2024, are two other preferred candidates.
It is part of the chaotic nature of the debacle that has dragged on since hard-right U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, successfully moved in early October to remove McCarthy. While a House member traditionally leads the chamber, rules do not prevent senators and people not in Congress from serving as speaker.
“Sen. King appreciates that his independent, consensus-building, approach to policy and congressional accomplishments is valued, but his focus remains on his work for the people of Maine,” King spokesperson Matthew Felling said Wednesday.
Jordan failed to win enough votes to become speaker Tuesday and Wednesday, with more than 20 Republicans voting for other candidates and Democrats uniting behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, who received 212 votes to Jordan’s 199 votes during the second round Wednesday.
U.S. Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree, both Democrats from Maine, each voted for Jeffries. Golden is among the group of centrist Democrats that told acting Speaker Patrick McHenry, R-North Carolina, last week they would help him in exchange for a few concessions, such as bringing aid bills for war-torn Ukraine and Israel to the floor.
On Wednesday, Golden said he supports empowering the acting speaker “to put the House back to work while the House GOP works to find someone who can lead them.”
“If Republicans abuse this authority then the country will have more evidence of their inability to lead,” Golden said in a statement. “If they actually govern — that would be good for America.”
