WASHINGTON — Two former members of Congress from west Michigan, U.S. Reps. Fred Upton and Justin Amash, were floated this week as alternative candidates for speaker of the U.S. House in the case that California's Kevin McCarthy can't clinch the Republican votes needed for election.
Republican Nebraska U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, who had raised Upton as a possible alternative, on Friday stressed how serious the idea of a consensus candidate for speaker — supported by Republicans and Democrats — would become as a "last resort" if negotiations broke down and McCarthy couldn't get to 218 votes with Republicans alone.
"People are making a big deal about it. It's a reality," Bacon said, noting McCarthy can only afford to lose four votes from his 222-member GOP Conference and still get elected speaker.
