Justin Amash Offers Himself as 'Nonpartisan' Speaker (Newsmax)
By Brian Pfail | Wednesday, 16 November 2022 11:56 AM EST
Former Rep. Justin Amash, L-Mich., has offered a truce between the two political parties in their search to find the next Speaker of the House.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., faces stiff opposition for the Speaker position, even from some Republicans.
"If neither party has the votes to elect a speaker of the House, I'd be happy to serve as a nonpartisan speaker who ensures the institution works as it's supposed to — a place where all ideas are welcome and where outcomes are discovered through the process, not dictated from above," Amash tweeted on Tuesday.
In 2020, the former Republican registered as a Libertarian, becoming the Libertarian Party's first member of Congress. Amash considered running for president as a third-party candidate, only to decide against it and leave the House after his term.
In a closed-door, secret-ballot election on Tuesday, House Republicans chose McCarthy. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., challenged the bid due to McCarthy's less-than-favorable alignment to the America First agenda initiated by former President Donald Trump.
McCarthy won the House GOP Speaker nomination over Biggs by 157 votes. He would need a total of 218 votes to be fully sworn in.
With Republicans holding a slim majority in the House, McCarthy will only have a few votes to spare from dissenting Republicans.
The Freedom Caucus, which typically takes traditionally conservative leads on issues, found Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., throwing support for McCarthy, arguing that the division among Republicans could lead some moderates to join Democrats.
A significant factor against McCarthy is the proposed House and GOP Conference rules changes. The House Freedom Caucus proposed rule changes to chip away at leadership's power and give more to individual members. This aligns more with Amash, a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, who left around the time he registered as a Libertarian.
The House GOP will examine the internal Conference rules changes on Wednesday afternoon. McCarthy said on Tuesday the House GOP would consider the changes on Wednesday and after Thanksgiving.