What if there is no next Speaker?

[cthulu2016]

Say agent Orange gets bounced... then what?

Republicans have to get behind someone 100% in caucus. They can't have a split because then Pelosi would get a lot more votes than either of competing Republicans.

So some how, some way, they would have to get behind someone they would all support, however grudgingly.

Can they? Straightforward question. I don't know.

How would that all work?

On the other hand, their Party unity in practice remains astonishing. Numerous Republicans, in both houses, have noe offered the spectacle of going on TV to say how much they want Option X and then the same day voting no on Option X.

[oldhippie]

1. Just a little bit of research would show you ....

.... what your answer is. There must be an absolute majority vote. So a split among republicans does not help Nancy.

Wikipedia is your friend.

To be elected as Speaker, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of all votes cast for individuals, i.e. excluding those who abstain. If no candidate wins such a majority, then the roll call is repeated until a Speaker is elected. The last time repeated votes were required was in 1923, when the Speaker was elected on the ninth ballot.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives

[cthulu2016]

3. "excluding those who abstain"

means that an absolute majority is not required.

This has been discussed a lot over the years -- that teabagger protest abstentions in a speakers election would hand Pelosi the job.

That is how Boehner got the job in the first place, because the crazies had little choice but to vote for him after he won the nod in caucus.

But since the question here [presumes the crazies bouncing him, it isn't obvious how sane they would be. They are, after all, the crazies.

[HereSince1628]

2. I'm pretty sure Cantor has lined up his ducks for this event...

Ryan wants to be HRC's presidential opponent.

[AlinPA]

4. Louie Gohmert! Cantor is too liberal!