We should unify in private behind a speaker candidate, Colorado Republican says
“It makes a lot more sense to do this behind closed doors,” Ken Buck said.
Rep. Ken Buck said Sunday he wants House Republicans to agree on a candidate for speaker in private before putting the candidate up to the full House for a vote.
“It makes a lot more sense to do this behind closed doors,” Buck (R-Colo.) said on ABC’s “This Week,” “and get it finished before we go to the floor.”
Buck told host George Stephanopoulos that sorting this out behind closed doors in “a family discussion” would lead to less grandstanding and public posturing in finding a replacement for ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was only elected to his post after multiple ballots held among very public debates. The top contenders to succeed him at this point are House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
“It's better to play out in private where the cameras aren't on, and we don't have people trying to get attention over certain issues than it is going out on the floor and having a series of debates,” Buck said.
Buck saw this all playing out in the middle of next week. Stephanopoulos asked Buck what would happen if the House GOP couldn’t agree by midweek.
“Well, then we'll agree on a candidate by the end of the week or we'll agree on a candidate over the weekend. I think we lock the doors and we have very limited bathroom breaks and food breaks and make sure we get the job done,” he said.
But Buck, who was one of eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy last week, also said he wanted Republicans to sort out its budget priorities before coming up with a consensus on a speaker candidate.
“I am not going to support anybody until the conference figures out spending,” he said.
Besides Buck, those who voted to oust McCarthy were Arizona’s Andy Biggs, Tennessee’s Tim Burchett, Arizona’s Eli Crane, Florida's Matt Gaetz, Virginia’s Bob Good, South Carolina’s Nancy Mace and Montana’s Matt Rosendale.
For her part, Mace on Sunday said on CBS' "Face that Nation" that she would support Jordan for speaker, citing "his values, his work ethic."
