Key events
Former US representative Tom Suozzi of New York announced on Tuesday that he will be running for his former Long Island seat now being held by disgraced lawmaker George Santos.
Suozzi posted an announcement of his candidacy on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Today I am filing a committee to run for Congress in November 2024,” Suozzi said, in a statement.
“The madness in Washington, D.C., and the absurdity of George Santos remaining in the United States Congress is obvious to everyone,” Suozzi added, referring to Santos by name.
Suozzi’s run comes as many believe that Santos will be forced to leave office due to mounting legal issues.
Santos could face legal fallout for a fraudulent $500,000 campaign loan that the congressman lied about, the New York Times reported.
As McCarthy signals his willingness to return to his former position as House Speaker, Republicans are facing pressure to elect a new leader, Politico reported.
The House speaker race comes as the US prepares a response following fighting between Hamas and Israel.
Congressional leaders also face a looming government shut down next month, after only managing to pass a temporary stopgap budget last week.
Republicans held a vent session on Monday, with many expressing anger towards the eight members who voted to oust McCarthy.
“Some people were mad and they got a right to be mad. But I got a right to represent my constituents, too,” said Tennessee representative Tim Burchett to Politico. Burchett was among the eight House republicans who voted to remove McCarthy.
Other Republican representatives have confirmed the lack of agreement on how to move forward since McCarthy’s removal.
“We’re kind of like a scattergram — we’re all over the map,” said Arkansas representative Steve Womack to Politico.
Notably, neither candidate for House speaker spoke during Monday’s meeting.
Kevin McCarthy not ruling out return to House speaker position
Kevin McCarthy has not ruled out a return to his former position of House speaker.
On Monday, McCarthy signaled that he would be willing to resume his position. McCarthy held a press conference with reporters to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict, but also noted that he could possibly make a comeback.
When asked if he would assume the speaker position if House Republicans failed to elect someone, McCarthy said: “I’m gonna allow the conference to do their work.”
Last week, eight Republicans sided with House Democrats to remove him from the leadership position. But since his ousting, House Republicans have failed to rally around a candidate.
Only two candidates have emerged in the House Speaker race: House majority leader Steve Scalise, a representative of Louisiana, and judiciary chairman Jim Jordan, a representative of Ohio.
Also on Monday, House Republicans held an extensive meeting to vent about the party leadership, Politico reported.
But after the two-hour vent session (which some members called “therapy” to Politico), Republicans were no closer to electing a candidate.
“There’s definitely frustration toward those eight people,” Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to Politico after the meeting. “There were quite a few people who said they’re not ready to move forward.”
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