Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is so sure that Democrats won’t make a deal to elect a moderate Speaker that he promised to resign if they do.
Video of Gaetz on Fox News:
“If Democrats join up to elect a moderate Republican, I will resign from the House of Representatives” — Matt Gaetz pic.twitter.com/PjbhyNpLpL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 6, 2023
Gaetz said, “These 212 Democrats are going to vote for Hakeem Jeffries every single time. He is a historic candidate for them. They are not going to cleave off. I can assure you that. If Democrats join up to elect a moderate speaker, I will resign from the House of Representatives. That is how certain I am. I can assure your viewers that won’t happen.”
Matt Gaetz is right. There is no chance that Democrats will bail Republicans out of the mess that they have caused for themselves. The Democratic message has been to urge moderate Republicans to join them in voting for Hakeem Jeffries.
The more plausible outcome is one where at some point, Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have enough supporters on the House floor, the threshold is lowered, and Jeffries is elected Speaker.
House Democrats are sticking together because their unity is good messaging in contrast to the Republican fiasco the nation is watching. By staying unified, they have a chance to get Jeffries elected Speaker.
If a DOJ investigation into potential child trafficking didn’t get Matt Gaetz to resign, Democrats helping to elect a moderate Speaker wouldn’t do it either.
However, Gaetz made it clear that McCarthy would never get his vote, and he was certain that Democrats weren’t going to help Republicans out of the mess that they had created.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
