Fox News Cancels Speaker Forum as Candidates Scramble to Pull Out Amidst Backlash
House speaker candidates have pulled out of a planned joint interview on Fox News.
Oct. 6 2023, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
A televised Fox News forum with three contenders for House Speaker had to be canceled soon after they were announced after several candidates pulled out at the last minute amid serious backlash, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Kevin McCarthy has the shortest stint as Speaker of the House in U.S. history.
Two leading Republican candidates for speaker of the House, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, have backed out of a planned joint interview on Fox News.
The interview, which was set to take place next Monday, was announced by the network on Friday morning but quickly faced backlash from GOP lawmakers.
According to CNN, a source familiar with the matter said that Jordan and Scalise discussed the interview and agreed it would not be wise to proceed. As a result, the forum has been canceled.
Scalise and Jordan have both officially announced their candidacies.
One Republican, Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, criticized the idea, stating that the question of who should be Speaker should be debated internally among Republicans rather than broadcast on TV.
He described the idea as "horrible" and expressed concerns about the candidates' decision-making.
Jordan's spokesman stated that the Ohio congressman would not participate in the event until he had the opportunity to address the conference first, which is currently scheduled for Tuesday.
Similarly, Scalise's spokesperson confirmed that the majority leader would also not be participating.
Matt Gaetz successfully voted out Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
Fox News had initially announced that anchor Bret Baier would conduct an "exclusive joint interview" with Scalise, Jordan, and potential candidate Rep. Kevin Hern from the Capitol on Monday, October 9.
However, the press release was later deleted from Fox's website, and Hern publicly withdrew from the event, stating that the Republican conference needed a family discussion rather than a televised debate.
The decision to conduct a televised interview before speaking to the GOP conference angered several House Republicans. They criticized the move, calling it "insanity" and predicting that the event would not go on as planned due to internal pushback.
Rep. Jim Banks voiced his support for the idea, stating that the Republican base deserves to hear from the candidates running for this important position at this critical time for the party and the country.
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Following Kevin McCarthy's removal in a floor vote, the speaker's race has already attracted outside influence, with former President Donald Trump endorsing Jordan.
The attempt by Jordan and Scalise to distance themselves from the Fox candidate forum follows the concerns of moderate Republicans. As key constituents, these moderates play a crucial role in determining the next speaker and have reservations about the conservative politics of both Jordan and Scalise.
According to interim speaker Rep. Patrick McHenry, the GOP conference will receive an update on next week's schedule later in the day.
