Three House Republican leaders are considering tossing their hat in the ring to replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker, according to Politico.

Steve Scalise

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, from Louisiana, is reaching out to members to gauge their support, three people with knowledge told the publication. Though Scalise had said he'd support McCarthy if McCarthy stayed in the race, it wasn't a secret that he wanted Speaker gig - or that he and McCarthy have had a strained relationship. Scalise was coy about his plans when reporters asked him about them earlier Tuesday.

"I enjoy working with Tom (Emmer) and our leadership team, and we have a lot of work to get done. But I haven't made any formal announcements."

Scalise was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, in late August, and immediately underwent what he labeled as aggressive chemotherapy. He returned to Washington in mid-September, and last week gave an update on his condition. 

"The good news is the cancer has dropped dramatically because of the success of the chemotherapy attacking the cancer."

While some members told Politico that they had concerns about Scalise's ability to do the job due to his health challenges, Rep. Matt Gaetz said Scalise was the best person to determine whether he could physically handle the demands, saying:

"I'm not here to make a judgment on where Mr. Scalise stands with his rehabilitation and recovery. I would give him the deference to be able to decide whether or not he'd like to put himself forward as a candidate. But he'd be the type of person that I could see myself supporting. There are many people, though, I could see myself supporting."

Georgia Rep. Austin Scott told Politico he supported Scalise:

"Steve Scalise is our leader. If he wants it, then I think that it's likely that he will be the leader — the speaker nominee."

Jim Jordan

Jordan, from Ohio, currently chairs both the House Judiciary Committee and the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, and is a member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Two unnamed sources told Politico that Jordan is having conversations with his House GOP allies about a run. Jordan challenged McCarthy for the speakership at one time but has since been a stalwart ally.

Jordan has at least one Freedom Caucus supporter, Kentucky's Thomas Massie.

My first choice if he will run:https://t.co/J45HbBnIle

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 4, 2023

Kevin Hern

Rep. Kevin Hern from Tulsa, OK, who heads the Republican Study Committee, is also considering a run. As Politico writes:

The leader of the largest GOP group in the chamber, Hern arrived in Congress in November 2018. He gained some momentum during the January speaker race as the contest lapsed into multiple days. He earned a handful of votes before McCarthy ultimately prevailed.

Of course, Democrats would hate all three of them, and especially when it comes to Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise they know they won't be able to cut back room deals with them or otherwise snow them. By morning there will likely be more possible contenders; hopefully House Republicans can coalesce around one very quickly and get back to the business of We the People.