Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Sunday that a female speaker could be more effective in uniting the House GOP conference.
During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream, Gingrich chastised the eight Republicans who he says “betrayed the conference” by voting to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy three weeks ago and said that “right now” his party “can’t govern” because of it. The former speaker said the House Republicans should consider a female for speaker to unite the conference.
“They need to pick somebody to get stability. I frankly wish that they … had a woman candidate out of all the candidates they’ve got running. You know, somebody like Elise Stefanik or Beth Van Duyne,” Gingrich said. “I think, in some ways, given the level of rowdiness and the level of juvenile behavior, it’s conceivable that a female speaker would be more effective in actually getting them all to get together and stick together,” Gingrich said.
“I’d work backwards,” Gingrich said. “I would do a whip check and say, ‘Who could possibly get 217?’ I don’t care who they are. They don’t have to be candidates right now. It could be the most surprising person. If they can get 217 – and they can keep 217 – make them speaker.”
“I would urge the House Republicans not to try to break that record,” Gingrich said.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) initially won the support of the conference but dropped out of the race after failing to secure a simple majority before bringing his name to the floor. Jordan then became the Republican nominee but was dropped by the conference after losing three votes on the House floor last week.
Some Republicans have argued that the party needs to elect a more moderate leader who can unite the different factions within the party. Others have argued that the party needs to elect a more conservative leader who can fight against the Democrats.
Gingrich’s comments about a female speaker are likely to be controversial. Some people may interpret them as sexist or patronizing. Others may see them as a sign that the Republican Party is ready to move forward with a new generation of leaders.
Source: Daily Wire
