Trump Factor Could Sway Tight House Speaker Race

livemint.com:

Former President Donald Trump is emerging as a wild card in the race for the next speaker of the House, potentially tipping the balance as the party tries to unite behind a candidate and avoid another grueling fight. Early Friday morning, Trump weighed in with his endorsement, backing Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, after the California Republican was ousted earlier this week.

Trump said Jordan would be “a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!" The backing of the 2024 GOP front-runner for president could give a boost to Jordan in his race against House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.), who has racked up his own slate of endorsements. Still, Jordan is a divisive figure within the House GOP and could have a hard time uniting the party, which is eager to put this week’s turmoil behind it. Many members are also weary of Trump and his continued influence over the Republican conference, with some representing districts won by President Biden in 2020.

As of Friday, the race remained wide open. While several dozen members have publicly announced their picks, many influential members hadn’t given their endorsement. Some members have said they want commitments from speaker candidates to change the rule that currently allows any single member to call for a vote to oust the speaker, which they see as putting the speakership perpetually at peril from a small minority of the party.

Candidates will need a majority of the conference to become the party’s nominee. McCarthy won the conference vote to be the party’s nominee for speaker, but it took him 15 rounds of balloting to win the speaker’s gavel in January. There remains no clear path for any current candidate