Conservative House Republicans are coming together around a plan to nominate Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., a member of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's leadership team, to replace McCarthy as early as next week, potentially during a government shutdown.
According to four sources speaking on the condition of anonymity with The Washington Post, the conservatives say Emmer is more in tune with their concerns and will better deliver the results they want.
The effort to replace McCarthy with Emmer comes after many in the GOP conference have warned that the speaker's future with the gavel would be tested in the fight to avoid the shutdown after the promises he made to the more conservative lawmakers to win his seat.
Emmer told the Post that he supports McCarthy.
"He knows that and I know that," Emmer told The Post in a statement. "I have zero interest in palace intrigue. End of discussion."
It's not clear if the plan to replace McCarthy will move forward or if the lawmakers are warning him, but some House members say removing him is "inevitable," and they are deciding when will be the right time to act.
One lawmaker, who was not named, said the conservatives want McCarthy to leave with "some grace," which means a motion would take place if there is a government shutdown and McCarthy has no more options to keep it open by only using Republican votes.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., threatened twice on the House floor, including this week, to bring a motion to vacate, and people familiar with the replacement plans are saying Gaetz could move as early as Sunday, which would start the 48-hour process to hold a vote.
McCarthy's opponents are saying that he wasted valuable time this summer when he refused to negotiate spending bills containing their demands, with one House Freedom Caucus member commenting that the speaker has "done some good things, but I'm tired of messaging votes."
Several representatives said they have spoken with Emmer, 62, about plans to push him as a replacement for McCarthy.
One lawmaker told The Post that he told Emmer that "his name has been floated around" to replace McCarthy. The source said he has spoken to Emmer twice, including as recently as Tuesday.
Emmer, though, is seen as a key McCarthy ally, a person close to Emmer said, noting that he has been working "around the clock" to find votes to reelect the California Republican as House speaker.
Emmer also has been meeting and calling members this week to unlock the House stalemate on the spending bill and worked with McCarthy to win GOP seats as the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee during the last two election cycles.
Democrats also will have to help decide McCarthy's fate, as a motion to vacate will need the support of a majority of the House, with 218 votes needed to succeed.
They have not yet determined if they'll protect him, and Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he has "no interest in what is happening in terms of the GOP civil war."
"That is not our business," Jeffries said. "Our business is to focus on the well-being of the American people."
Other Republican lawmakers said they are shocked to hear that conservatives are looking to replace McCarthy, with some saying it would be shocking if Emmer turns on McCarthy, considering their strong relationship.
There have also been tensions for some time between McCarthy and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana. While Scalise is more conservative than McCarthy, the House Freedom Caucus sees Scalise as part of the "establishment" as a lawmaker who has served in party leadership for too long.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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