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| Republicans in Freedom Caucus support Florida conservative as speaker | Republicans in Freedom Caucus support Florida conservative as speaker |
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| A cabal of far-right Republicans in Congress have announced that they are throwing their support behind Florida congressman Daniel Webster to replace John Boehner for speaker. | A cabal of far-right Republicans in Congress have announced that they are throwing their support behind Florida congressman Daniel Webster to replace John Boehner for speaker. |
| Representatives John Fleming and Jim Jordan told reporters that the House’s so-called “Freedom Caucus” members have cast their votes for Webster, a Florida Republican and rising star in the party. | Representatives John Fleming and Jim Jordan told reporters that the House’s so-called “Freedom Caucus” members have cast their votes for Webster, a Florida Republican and rising star in the party. |
| The announcement came just hours before members of the Freedom Caucus said they intend to vote as a bloc during the upcoming election to replace current speaker of the house John Boehner, a move which seems set to throw the party even further into disarray. | The announcement came just hours before members of the Freedom Caucus said they intend to vote as a bloc during the upcoming election to replace current speaker of the house John Boehner, a move which seems set to throw the party even further into disarray. |
| Speaking at a Conversations with Conservatives event – at which lunch was brought in from the outspoken, socially conservative fast food chain Chik-fil-A – Congressman Jim Jordan said that the Freedom Caucus had “every intention” of voting as a group both in Thursday’s secret GOP ballot, and in the floor vote of the House of Representatives for the new speaker on 29 October. | Speaking at a Conversations with Conservatives event – at which lunch was brought in from the outspoken, socially conservative fast food chain Chik-fil-A – Congressman Jim Jordan said that the Freedom Caucus had “every intention” of voting as a group both in Thursday’s secret GOP ballot, and in the floor vote of the House of Representatives for the new speaker on 29 October. |
| The move complicates what previously looked like the smooth election of Boehner’s favoured successor, current house majority leader Kevin McCarthy. | The move complicates what previously looked like the smooth election of Boehner’s favoured successor, current house majority leader Kevin McCarthy. |
| A former speaker of the Florida state house of representatives, Webster is seen as a rising star of the conservative far right. He rose to semi-prominence in the house following an attempted coup against John Boehner in January 2015, which saw him draw the second-highest number of votes. | A former speaker of the Florida state house of representatives, Webster is seen as a rising star of the conservative far right. He rose to semi-prominence in the house following an attempted coup against John Boehner in January 2015, which saw him draw the second-highest number of votes. |
| McCarthy will need 218 Republican votes to gain the speakerhood, but the freedom caucus bloc support for Webster makes that all-but impossible. | McCarthy will need 218 Republican votes to gain the speakerhood, but the freedom caucus bloc support for Webster makes that all-but impossible. |
| “Yes, we have positions that some people will call extreme,” said Representative Raul Labrador of Idaho, one of the chairs of the meeting, adding that while his caucus was willing to work with the GOP leadership for a compromise, “what we currently have is emasculated ourselves”. | “Yes, we have positions that some people will call extreme,” said Representative Raul Labrador of Idaho, one of the chairs of the meeting, adding that while his caucus was willing to work with the GOP leadership for a compromise, “what we currently have is emasculated ourselves”. |
| Thomas Massie, a conservative Republican congressman from Kentucky, is not formally a member of the Freedom Caucus, but appeared to speak for many of them at the meeting Wednesday when he said that McCarthy was “absolutely not an option”, adding that McCarthy’s comments about the Benghazi committee last week “disqualify him not just as speaker, but as majority leader”. | Thomas Massie, a conservative Republican congressman from Kentucky, is not formally a member of the Freedom Caucus, but appeared to speak for many of them at the meeting Wednesday when he said that McCarthy was “absolutely not an option”, adding that McCarthy’s comments about the Benghazi committee last week “disqualify him not just as speaker, but as majority leader”. |
| “There’s not 218 [votes] for McCarthy or for anyone,” Representative Tim Huelskamp of Kansas told the meeting. | “There’s not 218 [votes] for McCarthy or for anyone,” Representative Tim Huelskamp of Kansas told the meeting. |
| Democratic Congressman and House minority whip Steny Hoyer demurred in a briefing on Tuesday as to whether, as one reporter asked, there might be “chicanery” in the House surrounding the election of a speaker. | Democratic Congressman and House minority whip Steny Hoyer demurred in a briefing on Tuesday as to whether, as one reporter asked, there might be “chicanery” in the House surrounding the election of a speaker. |
| Such chicanery, it was suggested, might include Democrats putting their support behind one of the Republican candidates rather than automatically giving a losing vote to current minority leader Nancy Pelosi. | Such chicanery, it was suggested, might include Democrats putting their support behind one of the Republican candidates rather than automatically giving a losing vote to current minority leader Nancy Pelosi. |
| But Democratic congressman Brad Sherman of California told the Guardian that the freedom caucus bloc vote might create a situation where Democrats in the house would vote “present,” a technicality in house procedure which would help McCarthy’s election as speaker. “I’m sure the Democrats will have discussions with McCarthy,” he said. “I’m not sure the freedom caucus will like those discussions, but I know that Democrats are ready to vote ‘present’.” | But Democratic congressman Brad Sherman of California told the Guardian that the freedom caucus bloc vote might create a situation where Democrats in the house would vote “present,” a technicality in house procedure which would help McCarthy’s election as speaker. “I’m sure the Democrats will have discussions with McCarthy,” he said. “I’m not sure the freedom caucus will like those discussions, but I know that Democrats are ready to vote ‘present’.” |
| Reuters contributed to this report. | Reuters contributed to this report. |
| • The headline on this article was amended on 7 October 2015 to more accurately reflect the nature of the freedom caucus. |