With Republicans in disarray and unlikely to elect a new Speaker on the first ballot without a long list of concessions and agreements from their candidate, there is an opportunity here for Democrats to shock the world again and nominate a candidate who could peel off enough Republican votes to win, Brian Fitzpatrick from the 1st District in Pennsylvania, representing Bucks and Montgomery County. The Republican Co-Chair of the Problem Solver’s Caucus, the only bi-partisan caucus, was not happy with the ouster of McCarthy but also did not blame Democrats for this or resign as caucus co-chair.
Earlier today Democrat Vincente Gonzalez Jr. from Texas named Brian Fitzpatrick as a potential choice for Speaker, and I’m sure others are considering the idea, too. Here is why they should.
There are currently 32 Republicans and 32 Democrats in the Problem Solver’s Caucus. Around half those Republicans are from districts that Joe Biden won in 2020. They need to worry about a general election opponent, not just a primary fight. Democrats have 212 votes and with two vacancies they would only need 217 votes to select the speaker, which means they only need five Republican votes. If Brian Fitzpatrick agreed to accept the nomination he would only need four more GOP supporters. Those Republicans would likely be ostracized and even expelled from their own caucus, but it would be too little too late. Just like the world was shocked the Speaker was vacant they would be equally shocked if Democrats work together with a handful of Republicans to elect a moderate as Speaker. Instead of Steve Scalise or Jim Jordan, another government shut down, and no Ukraine funding, we could have a moderate who has demonstrated support for many Democratic supported initiatives. The same Republicans who supported him can continue the support and form a governing coalition. This would elevate the Problem Solver’s Caucus and their agenda, but it beats the Republican Caucus and their MAGA agenda which is exactly what we are going to get when Scalise or Jordan are elected.
Brian supports funding the government, funding Ukraine, and not defaulting on the national debt. He is still a Republican, and Democrats will not agree with him on 80% of the issues. However you can check out his policy positions yourself and I think you will see he is someone we can work with.
Or we can do nothing, and watch either Steve Scalise or Jim Jordan become the Speaker and continue the dysfunctional government from the Republican Caucus we have seen so far.