Rep. Louie Gohmert is directly taking on House Speaker John Boehner.
“I’m putting my name out there today to be another candidate for Speaker,” the Texas Republican said on “Fox and Friends” Sunday.
With Gohmert’s announcement, there are at least five GOP House members who will vote against Boehner on Tuesday. Republican Reps. Paul Gosar (AZ), Ted Yoho (FL), Jim Bridenstine (OK) and Thomas Massie (KY) have also called for new leadership. Gohmert is the second man to put his name forward as a possible replacement for Boehner; Yoho has done so as well.
Gohmert may be better organized than other potential Speaker candidates. He’s already launched a Website, gohmertforspeaker.com, for example. A high-ranking source close to the organized effort to oust Boehner tells Breitbart News that “Website traffic is very high because it seems many conservatives are excited about endorsing Louie for Speaker.”
When the new Congress, elected in November, convenes Tuesday, the first order of business will be to select a Speaker. This is generally a pro forma election, with the party leader taking the reins.
But this year an insurrection is brewing, although it’s not clear Conservatives can deliver enough votes to replace Boehner. The Congressional Research Service reports there would need to be 29 votes against Boehner to force a second ballot.
In explaining his action, Gohmert writes: “The Speaker of the House and the Leadership team must listen to the people and the promises they voted for. They must enact effective legislation to accomplish real goals, not merely provide show-votes for Members to offer empty boasts to their constituents. The Speaker must be willing and able to stand up to the aggressive, progressive agenda of the President and his abusive Administration.”
Conservatives were angry last month when Boehner and his team rammed through a 1,774-page, $1.1 trillion cromnibus bill. Boehner relied on President Obama and House Democratic support to pass that measure, which funds most of the federal government through September. At the time, Gohmert joked that “I think he [Boehner] ought to be able to pick up some Democratic votes for Speaker this time.”