Democratic Gov. Polis endorses ex-GOP Rep. Justin Amash as speaker of the next House of Representatives

A former Republican congressman has an unlikely supporter when it comes to becoming the next House Speaker.

On Friday, Democratic Governor of Colorado Jared Polis tweeted his support for Justin Amash, who left the Republican Party in 2019 and is now with the Libertarian Party. Michigan’s Amash was the first Republican to openly support the impeachment of then-President Donald Trump.

Amash tweeted on Friday that if he were named speaker of the House of Representatives, he would push for single-issue bills; Let committees work through bills without interference; ensuring that rules are followed and not suspended/abandoned/ignored on a regular basis; allow changes from the word circle; allow members sufficient time to review invoices; and ask for recorded votes.

“A Speaker for Amash would let the duly elected members of Congress do the work they were elected to do, with real opportunities for members on both sides of the aisle to contribute to a better outcome that is truly the sum of the best ideas from members of Congress.” represents the People’s House”, Polis tweeted In response.

“I love the idea of ​​having a libertarian like Justin Amash as Speaker of the House,” said Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian National Committee news week. “Justin’s platform to fight corruption and incompetence in Congress — from pushing single-spend legislation to demanding ballots — represents exactly what Americans should see in every speaker.”

On Tuesday, Amash expressed his openness to claiming the gavel if neither party has the sufficient number of votes.

“I would be delighted to serve as an impartial speaker, ensuring that the institution functions as it is intended – a place where all ideas are welcome and where outcomes are discovered through the process, not dictated from above,” amash tweeted.

Amash’s proposal comes the same week that current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her resignation from the leadership, likely paving the way for New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to replace her in January.

Amash also didn’t hold back his feelings about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is expected to take over as Speaker as the GOP narrowly won a majority in the midterm elections.

amash said McCarthy “is not qualified to lead anything, much less the House of Representatives.”

Tara Setmayer, former GOP communications director, predicted that McCarthy “will never be [House] Speaker.”

Arizona Representative Andy Biggs, a leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, challenged McCarthy over a “red wave” that never came to fruition.

Biggs eventually lost that bid, and McCarthy won his party’s nomination for Speaker by a closed vote by a count of 188–31. McCarthy needs more votes from his members or from across the aisle to reach 218 votes on January 3rd.

Liz Cheney’s name has floated online to take the gavel despite losing her recent election and will not be a member of Congress in 2023. She could still technically be a voice actress if she gets enough votes.

Even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a McCarthy supporter, warned that Cheney could fill the void if McCarthy’s caucus does not back him.