Can a non-member of Congress be speaker of the House? (2024)

FAQs

Can a non-member of Congress be speaker of the House? ›

The Constitution does not explicitly require the speaker to be an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, although every speaker thus far has been, and as a member the speaker also represents their district and retains the right to vote.

Both of the major political parties nominate one candidate for the position of Speaker. The candidate from the majority party usually wins.

How many votes are needed to win the election for House speaker? The magic number is usually 218, a simple majority of the 435 members in the House. In the 118th Congress, however, it's currently 217.

Under the modern practice, the Speaker is elected by a majority of Members-elect voting by surname, a quorum being present.

Congressman Mike Johnson (LA-04) is elected Speaker of the House. On October 25, 2023, Congressman Mike Johnson (LA-04) was elected as the Speaker of the House. As a Congressman, Speaker Johnson represents the northwest and western regions of Louisiana.

The minority leader, like the majority leader, is elected during secret balloting of the party during its caucus or conference and is the minority party's nominee for Speaker of the House.

Committees can probably continue holding hearings and votes without a speaker. But if they move legislation, there's no one to bring it to the floor. The speaker is also second in the line for president after the vice president. A temporary speaker does not fall in the line of succession, scholars say.

Eligibility of non-members

While every speaker of the House has been a sitting House member, Article I, Section II, Clause 5, of the U.S. Constitution, concerning the choosing of a speaker, does not explicitly state House membership as a requirement.

The House elects a new speaker by roll call vote when it first convenes after a general election for its two-year term, or when a speaker dies, resigns or is removed from the position intra-term. A majority of votes cast (as opposed to a majority of the full membership of the House) is necessary to elect a speaker.

While other speakers throughout history have stepped down after losing the support of their party, McCarthy is the first to be ousted through a vote of the full House in the middle of a congressional term.

How much does Speaker of the House earn? ›

The constitution says only, “The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers.” The GOP conference, however, has a rule saying no one indicted for a felony punishable by more than two years in prison can serve in leadership.

On October 3, 2023, the United States House of Representatives voted to remove its speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California, through a motion to vacate filed by Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, a fellow member of the Republican Party.

chose to be speaker -- it happens to be Speaker Johnson -- and he wants to deliver for the American people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said shortly after Johnson's elevation to the speakership. “That is something that the president has said himself over the last couple of weeks.”

After the vote Ryan delivered his first remarks as speaker-elect and was sworn in by John Conyers, the dean of the House, becoming, at age 45, the youngest person elected as speaker since James G. Blaine (age 39) in 1869.

Mike Johnson was elected as House speaker after three other candidates were unable to secure enough votes. Mike Johnson, a relatively lesser-known Republican from Louisiana, has taken the gavel as the new speaker of the US House of Representatives, ending three weeks of political chaos.

The majority leader in the contemporary House is second-in-command behind the Speaker of the majority party. Typically, the majority leader functions as the Speaker's chief lieutenant or “field commander” for day-to-day management of the floor.

Depending on which party is in power, one party leader serves as majority leader and the other as minority leader. Both party leaders, also called floor leaders, serve as the spokesperson for their party's positions on the issues and coordinate their respective legislative strategies.

Hakeem S. Jeffries. Elected by the Democratic Caucus, the Minority Leader directs the party's legislative strategies and operations and serves as a spokesperson for the minority party.

About Majority Whip Tom Emmer

Congressman Tom Emmer joined the U.S. House of Representatives on January 6, 2015 and currently represents (MN-06). Tom was recently elected by his fellow Republican colleagues to serve as Majority Whip entering the 118th Congress.