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'I'm Excited': Gaetz Seems to Throw Support Behind 'McCarthy 2.0'

 By Samantha Chang  October 12, 2023 at 5:45am
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Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said he backs Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana to replace ousted Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy even though he did not vote for the House majority leader during a GOP caucus.

On Wednesday, Gaetz expressed support for the House GOP’s nomination of Scalise after the Louisiana congressman beat Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio in a 113-99 secret vote.

“I’m excited for him,” Gaetz told reporters. “I can’t wait to go vote for Steve Scalise. Long live Speaker Scalise.”

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Gaetz revealed that Jordan was his first choice but said he backs Scalise since the Ohio congressman lost the internal GOP vote.

“I voted for Jordan,” the 41-year-old attorney wrote on the social media platform X.

“Now Jordan is for Scalise,” he said. “Both are an upgrade over McCarthy.”

On Oct. 3, McCarthy was removed as speaker of the House after Gaetz led a revolt to depose him, citing his failure to act on the promises he had made to gain GOP support to secure the role.

Shortly after McCarthy’s ouster, Jordan and Scalise announced bids to run for speaker.

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Jordan was favored by former President Donald Trump, the de facto leader of the Republican Party.

Last week, Gaetz said he’d be “honored to vote for either of these men on the floor.”

“Both of these men would represent a monumental step forward for the Republican conference,” he told Fox News. “I don’t believe there is a single conservative in the country who would not believe we are in a better position with either of them.”

On social media, Gaetz was peppered with questions about his support for Scalise, whom some claim is a carbon copy of McCarthy.

“I question @MattGaetz supporting McCarthy 2.0,” one commenter wrote on X. “Something is off…”

In response to conservative skepticism, Gaetz pointed out that while Scalise was not his first choice, the Louisiana congressman is much better than McCarthy.

A House floor vote will soon take place to decide the next speaker, pitting Scalise against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic nominee for the role.

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Samantha Chang
Contributor, Commentary
Samantha Chang is a political commentator, lawyer and financial editor in NYC.
Samantha Chang is a politics writer, lawyer and financial editor based in NYC.




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