Roswell Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Price is betting the same unrest that helped force out Speaker John Boehner will vault him into the No. 2 position in the House, leaping over the caucus’ leaders.
Though he is chairman of the Budget Committee, Price does not hold a spot in elected leadership. That puts him at a disadvantage in the traditional avenues against Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., Price’s only declared competition for majority leader in a closed-door secret ballot vote that could come as soon as next week.
The race is premised on the expectation that the current majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, will take over the speaker’s post — and McCarthy has only a nominal challenge for the speakership.
Both Price and Scalise are from the South, both previously were chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee and both are promising a new, more inclusive direction for a House GOP caucus in turmoil. Price, though, is seen as the more conservative of the two, and he has parted ways with leadership this year on issues such as defense spending.
“There’s a hunger for some new thinking, critical thinking, creative thinking, more energy,” Price told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “that respects, again, those (conservative) principles and pushes them forward, but does so in a way that brings us together as a conference. We don’t need more division. We’ve had way too much division.”
Scalise’s message balances running on his record during his yearlong tenure as whip while acknowledging the frustration of House Republicans who have been repeatedly stymied by Senate Democratic filibusters.
“I’ve been able to, as whip, help put those coalitions together to pass our conservative agenda and get it over to the Senate,” Scalise told the AJC. “And oftentimes the bills don’t even move out of the Senate and you need to be more aggressive about addressing that and calling the Senate out.”
While the Senate has blocked bills such as a repeal of Obamacare and a 20-week abortion ban, the House GOP has struggled to come together on issues such as funding the federal government. A short-term status quo spending bill is expected to pass this week against the votes of most Republicans, a move that helped trigger Boehner’s departure.
Endorsements vs. party structure
Scalise has a whip team already in place because of his position, and he has been a prolific fundraiser for the party and his fellow Republicans — a crucial bit of back-scratching in a race such as this. But Price, who also has done plenty of fundraising travel on behalf of colleagues, quickly garnered endorsements from influential US. Reps. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and former vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Price said he is not courting outside conservative groups to weigh in on his behalf, and they have been on the sidelines so far.
“I think (Price would) be outstanding,” said Adam Brandon, the president of the tea party pressure group FreedomWorks. “But I have to see who else is going to get in this.”
South Carolina U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy told reporters Tuesday that he is not interested, but several members were mounting a campaign on behalf of the well-liked head of the committee investigating the Benghazi attacks as a compromise choice.
Brandon said he had heard from some tea party-aligned members that a Majority Leader Price could be their price for supporting McCarthy for speaker in an open vote on the floor. McCarthy does not appear in danger of losing a speaker vote, but dozens of defections on the floor would be embarrassing.
Most of the Georgia GOP delegation lined up quickly behind Price, but the vote puts some in a tough spot. Both U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter of Pooler and Lynn Westmoreland of Coweta County serve on Scalise’s whip team.
Carter said he was leaning toward his fellow Georgian for the sake of the state. Westmoreland said he had picked a candidate, but he would not share who it is.
“I’m gonna vote, but I’m not whipping or saying or anything,” Westmoreland said.
Vote-counting in a majority leader race is a delicate process. Former U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, a Savannah Republican who lost a leadership race of his own in 2006, repeated a common adage: The only votes you can count on are the ones who tell you no to your face.
“You have to be on the phone and you just can’t let up,” Kingston said. “And then the lying factor is unbelievable because it’s a secret ballot and the problem with members is they’re choosing between friends. And when you’re talking about a big race like majority leader or speaker and you’re in line for a (committee chairman) gavel … you’ve got to pick the right guy.”
Could Georgia see benefits?
If Price is elevated, it could mean better committee slots for Georgians or an easier path to the floor for their bills. Price, for his part, said it was too soon to discuss a specific Georgia agenda if he wins the post.
The candidates also are careful not to speak ill of each other. As it turned out, both Price and Scalise spoke Tuesday to about 125 members of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, in town for their annual Washington fly-in lobby day.
Scalise did not mention the leader race, while Price spoke for a while about the “upheaval” in the House GOP and his bid for leader.
As Scalise exited the meeting, he told the AJC: “Tom and I are good friends, and we’ll be friends after this.”
For Price, that day can’t come soon enough. Boehner’s sudden departure and the likelihood of a quick election compressed the usual leadership jockeying from months to days. Price said he’s running on little sleep as he cajoles his colleagues.
“These are exhausting activities, as you can imagine,” Price told the Chamber crowd. “They are exhausting for the folks that are running and also exhausting for the folks that have to take our phone calls and our meetings.”
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