Gay Rep. Robert Garcia Explains the Homophobes Who Ran to Be Speaker

As the Republican Party in the U.S. House of Representatives prepared for a pivotal vote this Tuesday to nominate their candidate for the Speaker of the House, gay California Rep. Robert Garcia turned to social media to spotlight the contenders’ political ideologies. Garcia took to Threads to delve into the GOP candidates’ records, offering a detailed examination of their stances on critical issues.

The Speaker nomination had become a hotbed of internal party conflict and embarrassment, with the selected nominee still needing to garner a majority in a subsequent full House vote to secure the position officially.

Eight Republicans were running; however, a recent release from the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard shed light on a glaring deficiency in support for LGBTQ+ rights among these candidates—all except for Reps. Tom Emmer and Dan Meuser scored a zero on key LGBTQ+ legislation.

Emmer and Meuser garnered scores of 14 and 4, respectively, due to their voting on the Respect for Marriage Act.

An HRC spokesperson told The Advocate, “Emmer’s score is above zero because he twice voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, and Meuser’s 4 is because he voted for it on the initial vote but not on the final vote. Even then, with overall scores so low, they could hardly be considered to be pro-equality candidates.”

Garcia recognized both as an LGBTQ+ rights advocate and the president of the first-year Democratic class in the House, employed Threads to critique the GOP candidates, focusing on their lackluster scores concerning LGBTQ+ rights legislation and casting doubts on their ability to govern responsibly.

He extended his critique to the candidates’ objection to certifying the 2020 presidential election results and their voting records on vital governance issues such as averting government shutdowns. Through his Threads posts, Garcia aimed to prompt a more in-depth examination of the candidates’ positions as the GOP stood on the verge of nominating their candidate for Speaker.

The day took a turn when Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 House Republican, on Tuesday secured his divided party’s nomination to be Speaker after five rounds of secret balloting. This minor victory slightly moves a deadlock that has left Congress leaderless and paralyzed for three weeks, albeit it also highlighted the deep divisions within the House Republicans. Emmer defeated Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, 117 to 97, according to members in the room, the New York Timesreports.

Emmer, 62, whose current job is to “whip,” or count votes, now faces a path laden with the same issues that troubled the ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 Republican and the party’s first failed nominee to replace him.

However, by Tuesday afternoon, Emmer dropped out of the race, having encountered intransigence among a contingent of House Republicans who opposed his candidacy.

The proceedings underscored the continuing rifts within the GOP, as far-right activists criticized Emmer for insufficient support to former President Donald J. Trump, while some moderates were discontented that he did not back an effort to temporarily empower the acting Speaker, Rep. Patrick T. McHenry of North Carolina.

The House has been static since October 3 when hard-right rebels, eight Republicans, and united Democrats who voted to support the Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

The weeks following saw Republicans struggling to rally around a successor, even amidst escalating global crises and a looming government shutdown.

With nine candidates initially in the fray, Emmer was among the few who did not object to certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in at least one state and supported a stopgap spending bill to avert a shutdown. Several candidates were eliminated in earlier rounds of voting, reflecting the party’s effort to overcome internal discord.

The former college ice hockey player and coach, Emmer, has allies across the party’s conservative and establishment wings, according to the Times.

He served two terms as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, aiding Republican candidates nationwide in winning elections.

A House floor vote to elect the new Speaker could have come as soon as Tuesday afternoon, yet there’s no assurance that the nominee would obtain the necessary 217 votes, a threshold elusive to the past two nominees.

Lawmakers indicated that a group of Republicans voting “present” or for other non-nominating candidates might pose a hurdle in Emmer’s path to securing a majority.

As the GOP heads into yet more disarray, having once again failed to nominate a speaker, Garcia’s exploration on Threads provides a sharp reflection on the candidates vying for the substantial role of Speaker, setting the stage for the forthcoming political discourse, now with Emmer as the nominated candidate.

Here’s a look at Garcia’s Threads posts about the GOP candidates.