Kelly supports McCarthy
WASHINGTON — With Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner leaving office next month, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-3rd, of Butler anticipates an intriguing process to choose a new speaker.
“It's going to be kind of interesting,” Kelly said.
Boehner of Ohio announced last week that he would be leaving office at the end of October, having been speaker since January 2011.
Kelly said he anticipates a vote next week regarding a new speaker. A closed-door session for Republican congressmen was held Tuesday evening to discuss possible speakers and the future direction of the Congress.
Current House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California is the favorite candidate for speaker, and has been endorsed by Boehner. A fifth-term congressman, McCarthy took over as majority leader in August 2014, after former Majority Leader Eric Cantor left Congress after a surprise election loss.
“He's done a very good job,” Kelly said.
Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida also is a name being thrown about to face McCarthy, but Kelly said he is not sure of his chances.
“I don't know how strong the support is right now,” Kelly said.
So far, Kelly said he supports McCarthy for speaker.
“I would still be inclined to go with Kevin,” Kelly said.
If McCarthy is elected speaker, Congressional Republicans would have to elect a new majority leader.
The two candidates for that position are Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana — who is the Majority Whip and the third-ranking Republican in Congress — and Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, who is the chairman of the budget committee.Kelly said he's not sure who he would support for majority leader yet.Another name being tossed around by some more conservative congressmen is Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, who is the chairman of a special panel investigating the Benghazi, Libya, attacks. However, Kelly said Gowdy is not a declared candidate.When Boehner resigned, Kelly said he was “shocked.”Kelly said Boehner's resignation was completely selfless on his part, saying Boehner felt that he was the center of so many discussions about Congress rather than the issues themselves.Although there are reports and stories about internal struggles between some GOP congressmen and Boehner, Kelly said he does not see too much of that.“I don't see that as much as other people,” Kelly said.He said there can be heated discussions in the party, but overall he thinks they get along together.As far as some more conservative Republicans criticizing Boehner as not conservative enough or doing more for Democrats than the GOP, Kelly chalks that up to congressmen trying to win elections back home.“A lot of the people you hear (saying those things) are talking to their bases,” Kelly said.He said that some of them are loudly fighting for things that they know are unattainable just to tell their constituents they are fighting.
Kelly said the speaker is not just the speaker for the GOP, but for the entire Congress.“I think he took that role very seriously,” Kelly said.Initially, Kelly said Boehner wanted to have two terms as speaker. But, when Cantor lost his election bid, Boehner felt the need to stick around a little longer.On Friday, Kelly ran into Boehner at a restaurant during breakfast. Boehner sat down next to him and relayed a story about his experience with Pope Francis Thursday, saying the Pope asked Boehner to pray for him.Later, following the announcement that he had resigned, Kelly ran into Boehner, who said he felt at peace and decided that morning to resign.When Kelly was sworn in on his first day in Congress in January 2011, the first vote he took was to vote for Boehner for speaker.“I got along with him very well,” Kelly said.Before Boehner leaves office at the end of October, Kelly said Congress still needs to worry about voting for a transportation bill and avoiding a government shutdown.“I think he has his sights set on that,” Kelly said.Currently, there is no federal budget for the new fiscal year that starts on Thursday.
