McCarthy says early leadership election to replace Ryan unlikely

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Thursday he doesn’t think the leadership election to replace Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will be moved up from its current date in late November, following the midterms.

“I don’t think they would do anything like that,” McCarthy told The Hill.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), another potential successor to Ryan, said he’s unsure whether Republicans would consider moving up leadership elections while allowing Ryan to finish out his term in his current role.

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Scalise told reporters he doesn’t “have any idea if things are going to change” regarding the timing of the race, but remains committed to working with Ryan on accomplishing the party’s goals.

“I have no idea,” Scalise said. “Historically, leadership elections have happened right after the election, except in the case when [former Speaker John] Boehner [R-Ohio] left, and when [former House Majority Leader Eric] Cantor [R-Va.] left.”

Ryan, who announced Wednesday he would not seek reelection, asserted he doesn’t plan to give up the Speaker’s gavel until his term ends in January.

While GOP lawmakers have largely voiced support for Ryan’s decision to remain Speaker until his exit from Congress, a handful of members have quietly expressed concerns that the palace intrigue surrounding leadership races could be a distraction from carrying out their agenda and concentrating on the midterms.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said he believes it’s unlikely the Speaker’s race will last seven months as members start to vie for the role, but noted he doesn’t think Ryan will be ousted from his position, either.

“I think who the next Speaker will be will certainly be decided before November,” Meadows told reporters Wednesday. “Not in fact, but probably in practicality.”

Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) said he thinks holding the election early would be counterproductive ahead of the midterms, even if Ryan stays on as Speaker for the remainder of his tenure.

“I just think then everyone will say, ‘Who’s Speaker? The Speaker-elect or the current Speaker?'” he told The Hill Thursday.

“Plus, to have a leadership election chews up a fair amount of time that you could spend on legislative activities and we still have a lot to get done and a limited amount of legislative calendar space — we need to work on that.”

While speculation over the race has swirled since Ryan’s announcement, Scalise told Fox News he would “never run against Kevin [McCarthy] and wouldn’t run against Kevin. He and I are good friends.”

Ryan on Thursday signaled his support for McCarthy as his successor, saying he was pleased Scalise had endorsed the No. 2 House Republican to succeed him.

In an appearance on Fox News, Scalise said he would not run against McCarthy but did not offer an endorsement.