Justin Amash offers to serve as ‘nonpartisan’ House speaker
Asher Notheis
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Former Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) has entered the pool of candidates running for House speaker, offering to serve as “a nonpartisan” leader to help Republicans and Democrats work together.
Amash, who left Congress in 2021 after not seeking another term, is most known for becoming the first Republican in Congress to call for the impeachment of former President Donald Trump in 2019. He then left the Republican Party and considered a presidential run as a Libertarian.
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“If neither party has the votes to elect a speaker of the House, I’d be happy to serve as a nonpartisan speaker who ensures the institution works as it’s supposed to — a place where all ideas are welcome and where outcomes are discovered through the process, not dictated from above,” Amash wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.
https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1592568211073282048?s=20&t=N5wKMNSC-6iuDCrAUEBUdQ
Every speaker thus far has been an elected House member, though they are not required to be under the Constitution.
The GOP is expected to take control of the House next year. As of Tuesday afternoon, one week after voting ended in the 2022 midterm elections, the Republican Party needed to win one more House election in order to secure the 218 seats needed for a majority in the lower chamber of Congress.
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On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) received support from more than half of his conference during a closed-ballot vote, completing the first step in becoming House speaker. However, he still lacks backing from the 218 members needed to secure the position in the floor vote in January next year.
Former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) had attempted to challenge McCarthy, announcing a bid to the title during an appearance on Newsmax. However, McCarthy beat Biggs in a 188-31 vote.