Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told CNN Wednesday morning that “preliminary talks” have begun between moderate Republicans and Democrats to select a consensus candidate for speaker should Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid collapse.
Bacon wrote an op-ed in the Daily Caller two days ago that he would work with Democrats if the “small handful of people” obstructing McCarthy's road to becoming the next speaker continued to push for “unreasonable” demands. Chief among them, according to Bacon, was the group's request that any single member of the Republican caucus could call for a vote of no confidence in McCarthy.
Bacon said that the gridlock “threatens the entire GOP.”
Mediaite has more on this morning's comments:
McCarthy failed to reach the needed threshold to be elected to the position three times on Tuesday, with more than a dozen Republican lawmakers refusing to concede and support him. CNN's Jim Sciutto asked Bacon on Wednesday, ahead of even more voting, about the lawmaker's suggestion that Republicans may need to work with Democrats to get this Speaker vote done.
Bacon revealed there are talks underway for a “consensus candidate,” but he insisted he is still supporting McCarthy and will do so until the Republican takes his name out of the race.
“There are preliminary talks but we don't want to go too fast on this because that then hijacks what Kevin is trying to do and we want to support Kevin,” Bacon said.
He added that if McCarthy can't win over the Republicans refusing to give him their votes, then it's time to “look somewhere else.”
When pressed by Sciutto if he was defying the will of his voters, Bacon said, “we have to be Americans first.”
This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.
Is Rep Bacon Crazy? I’ll tell you what Threatens the entire GOP, it is GOP Reps like him. A consensus candidate? When in the last 2 years have the Dems worked with the Repubs? They never do! EVER!!! If McCarthy doesn’t work, make a Republican deal with him and nominate another Republican. I can see it now, This batch of moderate milk toast no backbone RINOS are going to screw up the majority that the voters gave them. If any one Republican votes for a democrat, I would say that they need to be recalled by their constituents and also thrown out of the Republican party.
Yes he is a liberal. Being a conservative Nebraskan, I can honestly say he has quite a following in this purple district. I am lobbying the county RNC to censure him. Little can be done however; he was just re-elected in Nov. 🤬
I don’t think you understood the consensus candidate, or maybe I don’t. I think the idea was a different republican that might be able to get a couple of democrats to vote for. The consensus candidate wouldn’t be to elect a minority leader as the speaker of the house. It would be another Republican besides McCathy that could garner a few Dem votes to this done so they can do their dang jobs.
idjits. if they don’t want to govern, don’t run for office. does nebraska and the states of the other ‘moderates’ have recall? fire it up!
The traitors in our midst are starting to expose themselves.
How insane is this wild idea?
The Democrats spend the next week of two accusing the Republicans of holding the House hostage.
Then about 20 Democrats “rescue” the House by voting for McCarthy so the House can move on. They will say they don’t like him, but at that point, anyone is better than no one.
Note: I am not in favor of that happening. I am not suggesting it is likely. I am posing it as an extremely remote possibility.