Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) cast his vote for House Speaker on Wednesday for ousted former Speaker and current marijuana lobbyist John Boehner (R-OH).
The Democrat side of the House chamber erupted into cheers when the chair announced Kelly’s vote for Boehner.
Boehner was forced out of the speakership in 2015 by a conservative uprising after he sought Democrat support to pass legislation opposed by a majority of Republicans.
He is now a registered lobbyist for the marijuana industry despite opposing marijuana legalization while in office.
Kelly has introduced a resolution to expand the powers of Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and is seeking Democrat support to do so.
This is why I introduced House Resolution 787 Monday night — to allow for Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry to have expanded powers as we debate who should be our next Speaker while we continue the People’s work. Glad to see two former Speakers support the same plan! https://t.co/OWINTtMLM0
— Rep. Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyPA) October 18, 2023
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a member of the Rules Committee that determines which bills come to the House floor, called the resolution a “crazy idea,” saying the motion is not privileged and therefore “can’t come to the floor.”
“It’s a crazy idea, and it’s not gonna work, and it can’t work.”
During Tuesday’s ballot, Kelly voted for Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA).
On October 11, Scalise won the Republican nomination but failed to win the support of a majority of Republicans eligible to vote for Speaker on the floor. He withdrew his name when it became clear he had no path to the gavel.
Despite serving in Congress for more than a decade, Kelly perhaps is best known for describing himself in 2019 as a “person of color” for being of Irish and Anglo-Saxon descent.
Follow Bradley Jaye on Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
