U.S. House leadership elections, 2015

Features of Congress

Background Federal Election Commission • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee • National Republican Congressional Committee • Filing requirements for congressional candidates • Classes of United States Senators • Filling vacancies in Senate • Filling vacancies in House • President Pro Tempore of the Senate • United States Speaker of the House • Filibuster • Key votes • Vote-a-ramas • Parliamentarian • Christmas tree bill • Presidential addresses

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This article may not adhere to Ballotpedia’s current neutrality policies.

By Humberto Sanchez
After repeatedly clashing with conservatives, including an effort launched in the summer of 2015 to remove him as House speaker, U.S. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced September 25, 2015, that he would leave Congress at the end of October 2015.^[1] The move had triggered a mid-session round of leadership elections, including, along with speaker, other posts that opened up as some members of the leadership looked to move up. Leadership elections typically occur at the beginning of each two-year congressional session.^[2]

The House elected U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to be the chamber's 54th speaker on October 29, 2015. Elected at age 45, Ryan is the youngest speaker since 1869. ^[3] He pledged to run the House in a style that empowers committees to take the lead on major legislation.^[4] His election came after the House Republican conference selected Ryan as its nominee for speaker at a closed-door meeting October 28, 2015. ^[5]

Boehner had initially set October 8, 2015, as the date that the House GOP conference would meet to select their nominee for speaker, and he had left for the new speaker the decision to set elections for other leadership posts. But, at the October 8 meeting, the leading candidate for the post, U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Cal.), took himself out of the race, adding that he would stay on as House majority leader. McCarthy was concerned about his ability to unite the conference after conservatives were reluctant to support him.^[6] Boehner delayed elections for speaker after McCarthy withdrew and, with no obvious candidate to unite the party, pressure had mounted on Ryan to run.^[7][8]

Despite his initial reluctance, Ryan officially declared his candidacy for House speaker on October 22, 2015.^[9] His announcement came after he said on October 20, 2015, that he would only be willing to seek the position if certain conditions were met, including getting various conservative and moderate factions within the GOP conference to support him, as well as a change in the House rule that threatened Boehner, which allows a simple majority to remove the speaker. And, due to concerns about being away from his family, he also wanted to delegate much of the travel and fundraising duties the of speaker's role. Ryan had given House Republicans until October 23, 2015, to agree to his terms.^[10] Ryan won the support of the factions, would spend more time at home than others speakers, but discussion on House rule changes were postponed.

McCarthy's decision also put on hold the races for majority leader and majority whip, since it was McCarthy's plan to vacate his post that had allowed other members, including those in leadership looking to move up, a shot to significantly shape the House GOP agenda. The speaker is elected by the entire House, and a vote on the floor was set for October 29, 2015.^[11]

Considered the favorite to claim the gavel on October 29, 2015, Ryan received 236 votes on the House floor, above the 218 he needed to win the speakership. U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) received nine votes, even though he ended his campaign after he was not chosen to be the GOP's nominee.^[12]At the October 28, 2015 closed-door meeting, Ryan received 200 votes, of the 247-member House Republican conference. He only needed 124 votes to become the House GOP nominee for speaker. Webster, who had challenged Ryan for the post, received 43 votes. U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and McCarthy each received one vote.^[13] The vote tallies of the close-door meeting are typically not made public.

Timeline[edit]

• October 29, 2015: The House elected U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.,) as speaker of the House. Ryan won 236 votes, above the 218 need to win the post.^[14]
• October 28, 2015: House Republicans selected U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.,) as there nominee for speaker. Ryan received 200 votes, well over the 147 he needed to win the nomination, but below the 218 needed to win the vote on the House floor. ^[15]
• October 27, 2015: U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) announced he would nominate Ryan for speaker at the October 28, 2015, House GOP conference meeting where they chose their nominee to be speaker. Gowdy, a favorite of conservatives, is chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi.^[16]
• October 22, 2015: Ryan officially declared that was running for House speaker.^[17]
• October 22, 2015: Ryan decided to delay the discussion over changing House rules beyond October 23, 2015. Ryan had said he wanted to change House rules to make it harder for the speaker to be ousted. He had made the rules change a condition of seeking the speakership that the House GOP had until October 23, 2015 to work out. But conservatives in the Freedom Caucus had been wary of a change and Ryan's decision to delay was seen as a concession to the group.^{[18] [19]}
• October 22, 2015: Ryan received the endorsement of the Republican Study Committee, a group of House conservatives, and the moderate Tuesday Group. Along with a pledge from the conservative Freedom Caucus that a supermajority of the group's members would support him, a path to the speakership appeared to be opening up for Ryan. He had made support from the three factions a condition of launching a campaign for speaker. He also had said he wanted to change House rules to make it harder for dissident lawmakers to oust the speaker and to delegate traveling and fundraising duties in order preserve time with his family.^[20]
• October 21, 2015: Ryan appeared on track to make a run for speaker after receiving a commitment from The House Freedom Caucus, a group of about 40 conservatives, that about 70 percent of their members would back him. The level of support was short of the 80 percent the group required to make an endorsement. Ryan had said he would need a significant majority of the House Republican Conference to make a run. He needed to hear from the Republican Study Committee, another group of conservatives, and the moderate Tuesday Group by October 23, 2015. But the Freedom Caucus, which had threatened Boehner's speakership, had been a significant hurdle.^{[21] [22]}
• October 21, 2015: Former Speaker John Boehner sets October 28, 2015 as the date that Republicans will choose their candidate for speaker. Boehner set October 29, 2015 as the day the whole House will vote for speaker.
• October 20, 2015: Ryan announced that he would run for speaker if the various conservative and moderate caucuses within the conference will support him, House rules were changed to make it harder for a simple majority to oust the speaker, and if he could delegate the lion's share of the speaker's travel and fundraising duties over concerns about being away from his family. Ryan has given House Republicans until Friday to agree to his terms.^[23]
• October 12, 2015: U.S. Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) announced he would run for speaker if Ryan did not.^[24]
• October 8, 2015: Ryan been urged by some of his GOP colleagues, including John Boehner, to run for speaker. He had previously said he had no interest in the post, but it is unclear if he would bow to the growing pressure with no obvious candidate to unite and lead House Republicans.^{[25] [26] [27]}
• October 8, 2015: John Boehner delayed the election for speaker after Kevin McCarthy, the top contender for the post, dropped out
• October 8, 2015: House Republicans met to select their nominee for speaker. At the meeting, Kevin McCarthy, the candidate a majority of the House GOP had been expected to support, withdrew his name from consideration for speaker.^[28]
• October 7, 2015: The House Freedom Caucus, a group of about 40 hardline conservatives, pledged to support Daniel Webster for speaker.^[29]
• October 6, 2015: Each of the three candidates for speaker—Jason Chaffetz, Kevin McCarthy and Daniel Webster—made their case before a joint meeting of House conservative groups.^[30]
• October 5, 2015: Boehner delayed the election of open leadership posts other than speaker. He had initially set elections for all positions for October 8, 2015.^[31]
• October 4, 2015: Ryan endorsed Kevin McCarthy for speaker.^[32]
• October 4, 2015: U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) formally announced his plans to run for speaker.^[33]
• September 30, 2015: Boehner set leadership elections for October 8, 2015.^[34]
• September 29, 2015: Gowdy declared he would not run for a leadership spot.^[35] Gowdy had been the subject of a campaign by some of his colleagues to draft him to run for majority leader, but he declined, in part, to continue his work as chairman of the special committee investigating the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.^[36]
• September 29, 2015: U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) announced his bid to become majority whip.^[37]
• September 29, 2015: U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) launched his campaign for majority whip.^[38]
• September 29, 2015: Though he had been working the phones since the leadership scramble began, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) formally announced that he would run for majority leader.^[39]
• September 28, 2015: U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), who had been mulling a run for position in leadership, announced he would not seek any leadership position and would support Tom Price for majority leader.^[40]
• September 28, 2015: U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) officially declared that he was running to replace Boehner as speaker.^[41]
• September 26, 2015: U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) unveiled his plans to run for majority whip.^[42]
• September 25, 2015: U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) unveiled his candidacy for speaker.^[43]
• September 25, 2015: As speculation mounted about his future and under pressure from conservatives, Boehner announced he would resign his seat and the speaker's gavel on October 30, 2015.^[44][45]

Race for speaker[edit]

Paul Ryan[edit]

Paul Ryan announced October 22, 2015 that he would run for speaker and on October 29, 2015, was elected speaker by the House.^[46] He received 236 votes, above the 218 he needed to win the gavel. Ryan's win came after he was selected by his House GOP colleagues to be their nominee for speaker at an October 28, 2015 meeting, receiving 200 votes of the 247-member Republican conference.^{[47] [48]} The announcement of his candidacy came after he said on October 20, 2015, that he would seek the speaker position if House Republicans agreed to certain conditions, to be met by October 23, 2015, including getting the endorsement of the two conservative and one moderate caucuses within the conference. He also demanded a change to a House rule to make it harder for a member to oust the speaker, and if he could delegate the lion's share of the speaker's travel and fundraising duties. Two of the three groups endorsed him for speaker. And while he did not get the endorsement of the conservative Freedom Caucus, which frequently clashed the previous speaker, he did get a pledge from the group that a supermajority of its roughly 40 members would back him. He also decided to delay the discussion on changing the rules until after October 23, 2015 in a concession to the Freedom Caucus, which had been wary of a change.^[49] Ryan had been reluctant to seek the job, in part, over concerns about being away from his family and over the possibility that leading the House GOP could jeopardize any ambition to seek higher office.^[50] He had been urged by many of his Republican colleagues, including outgoing Speaker John Boehner and one-time speaker candidate Kevin McCarthy. Ryan had maintained that he was not interested in the job, but received pressure from party allies and other leaders.^{[51] [52]} His supporters believed that he was possibly the only member who could unite the House Republican Conference. "If he (Ryan) decides to do it, he'll be an amazing speaker," McCarthy told reporters after a House GOP morning meeting October 9, 2015. "But he's got to decide on his own."^[53][54] Ryan is serving his ninth term in Congress having been elected in 1998. GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney chose Ryan to be his vice presidential running mate in the 2012 election.^[55] Before that, Ryan was chairman of the House Budget Committee and now the House Ways and Means Committee where he has developed his fiscal policy expertise.

Daniel Webster[edit]

Daniel Webster revealed his plans to campaign for speaker on September 25, 2015.^[56] At a closed-door GOP meeting Webster finished behind Ryan to be the Republican nominee for speaker.^[57]Despite ending his campaign after not being chosen the GOP's speaker nominee, Webster received nine votes on the House floor October 29, 2015.^[58] Webster, who represents Florida's 10th Congressional District and served as the House speaker and Senate majority leader in the state legislature, had hoped to expand his support beyond the right flank of the House Republican Conference, but only won 43 votes at the October 28, 2015, House Republican conference meeting. ^[59] Webster, elected in 2010, launched a last-minute effort to become speaker on January 6, 2015, the day leadership elections were held. Boehner survived the challenge, but Webster's effort highlighted how dissatisfied some conservatives were with Boehner's leadership. As a result of this move, Webster was removed from the House Rules Committee.^[60][61]

Decided against run[edit]

Jason Chaffetz[edit]

Jason Chaffetz formally announced his bid for speaker on October 4, 2015. As promised, he dropped out of the race after Paul Ryan said he would run for speaker.^{[62] [63]} Chaffetz's eleventh-hour campaign came after he criticized McCarthy, who linked a drop in Hillary Clinton's poll numbers and the Republican-established special committee investigating the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.^[64][65] He offered himself up as an alternative to McCarthy and raised doubts that McCarthy would be able to garner the required 218 votes on the House floor to win the speaker's gavel.^[66] Chaffetz's efforts also followed his attempt to help draft Trey Gowdy to run for majority leader.^[67] Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee since the beginning of 2015, Chaffetz was perceived as a potentially attractive candidate for Republicans concerned that McCarthy would not be much different from Boehner. Chaffetz was first elected to Congress in 2008 and represents Utah's 3rd Congressional District.

Bill Flores[edit]

Bill Flores launched his bid to run for speaker October 12, 2015, but noted he would not run if Paul Ryan decided to do so.^[68] Flores asked his colleagues for their support in an email, according to an article that appeared in the Texas Tribune on October 12, 2015. He touted his business background and emphasized that he was seeking feedback on the race and the speakership as a whole. Flores was elected to Congress in the tea party wave of 2010 and represents Texas' 17th Congressional District. Flores was elected by his fellow conservative colleagues to serve a two-year term as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of 172 conservative House Republicans committed to small government and fiscal discipline. Prior to coming to Congress, Flores was an oil and gas industry executive.

Kevin McCarthy[edit]

Kevin McCarthy, who had been the most likely candidate to win the support of a majority of House Republicans, dropped out of the race for speaker on October 8, 2015. He said he would remain majority leader, the number-two ranking House Republican. McCarthy initially declared his candidacy to succeed Boehner on September 28, 2015, and communicated that he had hoped to unify a splintered Republican Party.^[69] In an email to his colleagues launching his campaign, McCarthy said, "We have made real progress towards shrinking an overgrown federal government and reforming our broken entitlement system. But our work is far from done. We can't ignore the differences that exist, but we can and must heal the divisions in our conference with work, time, and trust. That is why I have decided to run for Speaker of the House and graciously ask for your support."^[70] But he decided to withdraw after it became clear that — while McCarthy was expected to win a majority of the 247-member House Republican conference and become their speaker nominee — it would have been a difficult prospect to get the 218 votes on the floor needed to claim the gavel. "If we're going to unite and be strong, we need a new face to do that," McCarthy said at a press conference, where he noted that he did not want to become speaker with roughly the minimum number of votes.^[71] His rival for the post, Jason Chaffetz, had questioned McCarthy's ability to win the floor vote.^[72] In the run up to the October 8, 2015, election, McCarthy, a native of Bakersfield, California, was also chastised for insinuating that the House special committee investigating the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, had political motivations.^[73] Prior to serving as majority leader, McCarthy held the post of majority whip. He was elected to Congress in 2006, representing California's 23rd Congressional District, and drafted the party agenda—laid out in the book he co-authored, Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders—that helped win the majority in 2010.

Race for majority leader[edit]

Kevin McCarthy[edit]

Kevin McCarthy said he would remain majority leader after he withdrew from consideration for speaker October 8, 2015.

Tom Price[edit]

Prior to McCarthy's announcement, Tom Price had launched a bid for majority leader. Price, representing Georgia's 6th Congressional District, led the Republican Study Committee from 2009 to 2010 and has served as chairman of the House Budget Committee since the beginning of 2015. He had been expected to run against Scalise for McCarthy's seat. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who had sought to oust Boehner, told The Hill that Price has worked with both moderates and conservatives to pass the budget. “In the right scenario, certainly having Tom Price as a member of the leadership team is good," Meadows said.^[74] Though Meadows did not officially endorse Price, Price did receive an endorsement from Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Mitt Romney's 2012 vice presidential running mate. "Tom has a proven record of advancing conservative solutions and principles. He has the knowledge and skills needed to be an effective majority leader, and I'm proud to support him," Ryan said.^[75] Price's run for leader was endorsed by Jeb Hensarling. Both lawmakers backed Price in his 2012 bid to be Republican Conference chairman, but Price was defeated by Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

Steve Scalise[edit]

Prior to McCarthy's exit from the speaker's race, Steve Scalise had announced his majority leader candidacy on September 29, 2015.^[76] Scalise, representing Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, has served as House majority whip, the number-three spot in House leadership, since 2015; prior to that, he served as chairman of the Republican Study Committee—a group of House conservatives—for two years. "I understand from experience that unity is easy to call for, but it takes the right kind of leadership to achieve," Scalise wrote in a letter to his colleagues. "Whenever you've called on me, I've delivered. Together, we've confronted many challenging issues, and each time I've worked to bring all parts of our conference together to pass legislation that reflects our values and moves our country forward. As your Majority Leader, we'll build upon this inclusive approach to deliver results you can be proud of." Scalise's challenge is to build a coalition of support that goes beyond the 170 conservatives whom he led as Republican Study Committee chairman.^[77][78]

Race for majority whip[edit]

Patrick McHenry[edit]

Patrick McHenry announced that he was running for majority whip on September 29, 2015. "We need a new leadership team that is committed to conservative principles, but more than that we must recognize the need for a culture change within our conference," the North Carolina Republican wrote in an email to colleagues, "a new culture based on trust, consistency, communication, and collaboration."^[79] McHenry, who has served in Congress since 2005 and represents North Carolina's 10th Congressional District, was appointed chief deputy whip by Steve Scalise after winning re-election in 2014. The job, to help the whip corral votes, put him in leadership circles. It's unclear whether that would be viewed as an asset or a liability by members looking for a broad change in the leadership ranks.^[80] As a member of the whip team, McHenry, who was elected at 29 in 2004, was seen as key to the leadership's ability to resonate with the younger generation of House members, many from the South, who were elected in the tea party wave of 2010.^[81]

Markwayne Mullin[edit]

Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is running for whip. According to National Journal, the Oklahoma Republican began informing colleagues that he intended to run for majority whip in the days leading up to Boehner's retirement announcement.^[82] Mullin, representing Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District, was elected to Congress in 2012 and has served on the House Natural Resources Committtee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Prior to running for Congress, Mullin helped build up his family's plumbing business. Mullin has pledged to serve only three terms in office.

Dennis Ross[edit]

Dennis Ross launched his campaign for whip in a statement released September 28, 2015. “I am running for Majority Whip because Republicans must be willing to put our principles on the line in order to draw a stark difference to the failed policies of this President," the Florida Republican said in a press release. "It is time to advance our conservative cause in a positive way by passing legislation that forces the President to either sign bills into law or explain to the American people why he vetoed them."^[83] If elected, Ross pledged to push for a vote in the first 90 days on three issues: tax reform, immigration reform (starting with a vote on border security) and an alternative to the Affordable Care Act. “As Majority Whip, I commit to using my seat at the leadership table to achieve these principles," Ross said. "I will unify our party by bringing the diverse voices of our Members and the American people to the table so all ideas and concerns are thoughtfully considered.”^[84] Ross represents Florida's 15th Congressional District. He was elected in 2010 with the wave of tea party conservatives and has served as a senior deputy whip under Scalise.

Pete Sessions[edit]

Pete Sessions unveiled his campaign for whip on September 29, 2015. “Our conference was at a crossroads in 2009, and this upcoming leadership election provides us with yet another crossroads,” the Texas Republican wrote in a letter to his Republican colleagues. “I am contacting you this morning because, if given the opportunity, I plan to run for Majority Whip so we can work together and put our conference on the right path to fight for our conservative principles on behalf of the American people.”^[85] Sessions, representing Texas' 32nd Congressional District, has been chairman of the House Rules Committee since 2013.^[86] In 2008 and 2010, he served as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is tasked with electing Republicans to the House. As chairman, he helped in the effort to return Republicans to the House majority. Sessions argued that his time as NRCC chairman shows he has the chops to be a GOP leader.^[87]

Recent news[edit]

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See also[edit]

• 114th United States Congress
• United States House of Representatives
• United States Congress

External links[edit]

Suggest a link

• Speaker.gov
• MajorityLeader.gov
• House Clerk website
• House History website, speaker
• House History website, majority leader

Footnotes[edit]

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