The House is scheduled to reconvene on Monday to continue discussion on the future of the speaker of the house. This week, Republicans rejected expanding the power of the interim speaker, and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan (R) lost even more support with a third vote. As Republicans look for a new leader, Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington (R) has been positioned as a possible house speaker.
Taking to social media to comment on the support for him to pursue the speaker of the house role, Arrington commented that “with the budget and border as top priorities for our GOP conference and the country, some of my colleagues have encouraged me to run for Speaker.”
Arrington added that he was “honored and seriously considering it.”
Similarly, Texas Rep. Roger Williams (R) announced that he was considering a run for speaker of the house, and Texas Rep. Pete Sessions (R) weighed in on the conversation, throwing his hat in the race.
After a closed-door meeting among Republicans that resulted in dropping Jordan from the nomination, Sessions’ office released a statement on X, expressing that the Republican congressman’s history in office and in party leadership could unite Republicans as they encounter infighting.
“Congressman Sessions believes he can forge a positive path as a conservative leader who can unite the conference,” the statement reads, adding that “during his congressional career, he has played a vital role in the Republican Party, in Texas and nationally, including a decade in party leadership.”
In speaking about the challenges of the race, Arrington said that "somebody's got to run. We have to coalesce around somebody or we’re going to squander this historic opportunity.”
Before he can make a decision, Arrington mentioned that he needed the support of his family, but he also needs the support of his "Texas family," explaining that he would be speaking to the rest of the Republican lawmakers in Texas.
