For all of the speculation about which disciple of Paul Ryan's will succeed him as Speaker, losing the majority in the House in November could spell doom for both Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise, lawmakers told The Hill.
And it could be a fight for either or both even if Republicans do in fact hold onto their majority.
"I don't think they can make the case [to remain] if they are in the majority or the minority," Rep. Justin Amash told The Hill. "I think you have to change the leadership team dramatically to get things back on track for our country. If that means changing all the members of leadership, then so be it."
"Right now, I'm not interested in anybody in the current leadership team because the system is so broken," Rep. Paul Gosar told The Hill. "I don't even want to stick with that team now. I want a new team."
Both Amash and Gosar are members of the House Freedom Caucus, the conservative wing that forced out former Speaker John Boehner in 2015.
Ryan has vowed to remain as Speaker until he retires in January, and last week he publicly endorsed McCarthy, R-Calif., to replace him. However, it was McCarthy's inability to woo the conservative caucus in 2015 that led to Ryan's speakership in the first place.
Regardless, by Ryan keeping the seat warm until after the midterms ensures that Republicans will know exactly what they're debating - a Speaker or a minority leader.
If it's the latter, it might be lights out for both McCarthy and Scalise.
"If there is a blue wave and we lose it, I can't imagine that there would be a constituency who would suggest we keep a losing leadership team in power," one leading House conservative told The Hill.
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