It’s Day 20 with no House speaker, and lower-level names are starting to reach for the gavel

By LISA MASCARO
AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s Day 20 without a House speaker, and Republicans are starting over. They’re convening again Monday evening without any idea who will lead and when they will be able to get Congress back to work. Nine lower-level Republican lawmakers are now running to be the House speaker, none with any clear shot for the gavel. Senior-most is Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota. But the former campaign chief and gruff hockey coach is disliked by Donald Trump, potentially dooming his candidacy. Late Monday House Republicans will retreat behind closed doors to hear from the candidates ahead of internal party voting. Since being ousted as speaker at the start of the month Kevin McCarthy calls the whole spectacle “embarrassing.”