Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) was slammed on Thursday night by a fellow Carolina Republican as the House remains speakerless with no signs pointing to that changing anytime soon.
“We should not go home until we have a Speaker,” Mace posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Less than an hour later, Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) responded. “How about apologizing for causing this mess?” he wrote.
SALT DEDUCTION BACK IN FOCUS AS NEW YORK REPUBLICANS FLEX MUSCLES IN SPEAKER DEBATE
Mace has become one of the most talked-about congressmen in recent weeks after she was one of eight Republicans to vote to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the speakership and continued to defend her decision afterward. But with no consensus among House Republicans on who should get the gavel next, Mace’s critics have been outspoken on the “mess,” as Murphy put it, they believe she caused.
Murphy’s condemnation of Mace on X underscores the fractured nature of the House Republican conference. It has been common for Democrats and Republicans to go back and forth in the Capitol and on social media over the past few years, but for members of the same party to do so represents a different conundrum for Republicans.
Twenty-two House Republicans currently oppose Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) in his bid for the speakership, far more than he can afford with the GOP’s slim majority in the lower chamber. Mace supports the Ohio Republican, and so does Murphy, but the latter appears less willing to keep trying something that appears destined to fail.
“I’m tired of futzing around with this,” Murphy said on Thursday. “I personally think it’s time for somebody to step down and move on and have another candidate.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
With McCarthy’s return to the leadership position unlikely, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) removing his name from the running after realizing he did not have the requisite support, and Jordan facing staunch opposition, it is unclear who could be next to try and rally House Republicans together.
The House is set to reconvene at 10 a.m. Friday for a third round of speaker votes. Should Jordan fail to achieve the 217-majority threshold, more votes could be expected throughout the weekend, which would likely anger Republicans eager to try something new.
