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Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., a close Trump ally and America First congressman, has thrown his hat into the ring for the speakership in the House of Representatives, he confirmed on Friday.
“I am running to become the next Speaker of the House,” he wrote on X.
Donalds’ bid for speaker comes after Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, another well-liked America First Republican, ultimately failed to accrue enough votes on the floor to win the gavel after three ballots in Congress.
Now, Donalds is jumping into a crowded fray of potential Speakers after the house has been without a leader since Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., filed a motion to vacate Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in early October.
On X, Donalds clarified that his agenda as a potential Speaker would be to secure the southern border, fund the government “responsibly,” move the conservative agenda forward, and “expand our Republican majority.”
According to NBC, Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., has stated that the vote for the next Speaker of the House could be held as early as Tuesday of this week.
Per their report, other candidates who are running for the gavel include Rep. and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas.
An additional five representatives are also running to win the speakership, but it is impossible to know who will gain enough votes to capture Republicans’ support in the conference.
A report from Florida Politics revealed that fellow Florida Republicans (Reps. Vern Buchanan, Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez, Cory Mills, and Michael Waltz) have already pledged their support to Donalds’ speakership bid. This could be a good sign for Donalds since Republicans in the House have split contentiously at times over supporting the previous candidate, Rep. Jordan.
Rep. Donalds strongly endorsed President Donald Trump’s reelection bid in early 2023, calling him the “right choice for America.”
