Moderate Republicans Found!

Here's how we found them and who they are.

The only feasible way to remove and replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, and thereby diminish the power and influence of MAGA extremists in the chamber, is for a cross-party alliance of moderate Republicans and Democrats to temporarily join forces to form a majority voting bloc. They can then “move to vacate the chair”, and elect a new Speaker.

This is an updated version of a plan widely discussed during the marathon balloting for Speaker on the first days of the 118th Congress. At one point it was actively promoted on Fox News (!) by progressive Democrat Ro Khanna, who represents California’s 17th District (Silicon Valley). Having learned from that experience, we are determined to be better prepared when the opportunity again arises. Previous posts on this site describe in some detail what we plan to do and when, particularly these three:

Here’s one link: Wait, Exactly How Will We Do This?

Here’s another: Replacing McCarthy - A Progress Report

And companion to this post: Moderate Republicans? Really?

---

1. In our search for potential Republican allies we looked first at the membership of the Republican Governance Group. This group of about 40 Representatives sees their role as supporting “the governing wing” of the party conference.

2. Next, we looked at the members of the bi-partisan Problem Solvers Caucus, half of whom are Republicans.

3. Then we listed the names of Republicans who represent 18 districts that President Biden had won in the 2020 election.

4. Finally, we cross-referenced these names with those who have actually voted along with Democrats to pass legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act or the Respect for Marriage Act.

This has yielded about 30 names, most of whom only occasionally appear on cable TV and so remain pretty much unknown beyond their home districts. We’re now in the midst of researching each one’s biography, press and campaign statements, committee seats held, voting record, etc., as well as the demographic composition of their district. Below are some of our potential allies, their contact information and a little bit of what we’ve learned about them.

John Curtis 2323 Rayburn House Office Building - Washington, DC 20515
- (202) 225-7751

Represents Utah’s 3rd District, in Congress since 2017; originally registered as a Democrat to “counter one-party dominance” in Utah (switched to Repub. in 2006); publicly emphasizes his independence from Trump and need for bipartisanship; opposed efforts to overturn 2020 election

Ashley Hinson 1717 Longworth House Office Building - Washington,DC  20515 - Phone: (202) 225-2911

Represents Iowa’s 2nd District, in Congress since 2020; formerly was anchor/reporer/producer on KCRG-TV9; represents swing district formerly represented by a a Democrat; won 2 terms in her state House district which Hillary Clinton won in 2016; was one of 39 Republicans to vote with all Democrats for an anti-trust bill (Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act) targeting corporations for anti-competitive behavior; voted for Respect for Marriage Act.

Brian Fitzpatrick 2323 Rayburn House Office Building - Washington, DC 20515 - (202) 225-7751

Represents Pennsylvania’s 1st District, in Congress since 2016; formerly was FBI Special Agent and Federal Prosecutor; embedded with U.S. Special Forces in Iraq; represents swing district (carried by Pres. Biden 52% to 46%); said he could not vote for Trump; opposed GOP effort to repeal Obamacare; opposed building border wall; supported Paris climate agreement; opposed efforts to overturn 2020 election, Brian Fitzpatrick is co-chair of Problem Solvers Caucus. He was also just appointed to United States Group of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (legislators from NATO-member countries working together on global security issues).

David Joyce 2065 Rayburn House Office Building -- Washington, DC 20515 -- (202) 225-5731

Represents Ohio’s 14th District, in Congress since 2012; attorney, formerly a public defender, and then a prosecutor; in 2017 voted against repeal of Obamacare; co-chair of bipartisan Cannabis Caucus, favors letting each State decide legality; supports bipartisan efforts for environmental clean-up of water resources (rivers and lakes); opposed effort to overturn 2020 election; chairman, Republican Governance Group. During the balloting for Speaker in early January, former Clinton admin. Labor Secretary Robert Reich proposed that a cross-party alliance should consider electing Representative Joyce as Speaker.

Victoria Spartz 1609 Longworth House Office Building — Washington,DC  20515 — Phone: (202) 225-2276

Represents Indiana’s 5th District, in Congress since 2020; formerly was Certified Public Accountant and real estate broker; Ukrainian immigrant, earned Bachelor of Science and MBA degrees from the Kyiv National Economic University, and Master of Accountancy from Indiana University; formerly Chief Financial Officer of Indiana Attorney General’s office; voted to certify electoral college results during first week in office; voted “present” on 8 of the 15 votes for Speaker in January; introduced a bill with progressive Representative Pramila Jayapal aimed at curbing anti-competitive conduct (hospital mergers) in the healthcare industry. Representative Spartz was quoted a few weeks ago reprimanding Kevin McCarthy, saying it’s time for him to “stop bread and circuses in Congress and start governing for a change.”

Don Bacon  2104 Rayburn House Office Building —Washington, DC 20515. — Phone: (202) 225-4155 — Toll-Free: 888-221-7452

Represents Nebraska’s 2nd District, in Congress since 2017; formerly Brigadier General, United States Air Force; has earned four Master’s degrees, including one from the National War College; after retiring from military was Assistant Professor at University of Bellevue (Nebraska) until elected to House in 2016; represents swing district (carried by Pres. Biden 52% to 46%) one of 13 Republicans to vote with Democrats for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; voted with Democrats to establish January 6 Commission; opposed efforts to overturn 2020 election. In November 2022, Rep. Bacon said that if Kevin McCarthy did not have enough votes to become Speaker that he’d be willing to “work with like-minded people across the aisle to find someone agreeable for Speaker,” adding “we need to govern. We can't sit neutral; we can't have total gridlock for two years".

We’re also researching print and broadcast media personalities to contact. We will be urging them to start talking about the idea, and hopefully build public support for it. As we add to and refine both lists we’ll be periodically publishing updates.