US House Republicans met behind closed doors to discuss next steps in their internal leadership battle on Friday morning, the day after the front-runner, Kevin McCarthy, abruptly quit the Speaker’s race.
“Starting this morning, we’re looking for a consensus candidate,” Representative Darrell Issa told CNBC ahead of the meeting.
Finding a replacement for House Speaker John Boehner has consumed Republicans as Congress faces a series of pressing decisions, from raising the government borrowing authority to funding federal agencies through September.
Representative McCarthy, also the incumbent House Majority leader, on Thursday said he would no longer seek the post to lead the chamber. McCarthy was considered the leading candidate to replace Boehner, who is retiring.
The race for speaker of the Republican-dominated House was upended when McCarthy dropped out, saying he could not get the support he needed to win. Boehner had planned to leave Congress on October 30 but said he would stay until a replacement is elected, and the future of the planned October 29 vote for speaker in the full House remained in question.
Other candidates include Representatives Daniel Webster of Florida and Jason Chaffetz of Utah.
Webster has the backing the House Freedom Caucus, a group of about 40 members aligned with the Tea Party movement that calls for lower taxes, less federal spending and reduction of the national debt and budget deficit.
