WASHINGTON, D.C. — Georgia Congressman Austin Scott has announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House for a second time as the seat remains unfilled.

He originally announced his bid for the position on Oct. 13, but withdrew his candidacy hours later after House Republicans nominated U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio— an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump, who also endorsed him for the seat. Scott lost the nomination to Jordan in a 124-81 vote.

Jordan, however, failed to secure the 217 votes needed by Congress after three attempts the following week.

Scott, a Republican from District 8, on Oct. 20, announced his plans to vie again for the role.

“If we are going to be the majority we need to act like the majority, and that means we have to do the right things the right way,” he wrote as he posted his announcement on X, formerly Twitter. “I supported and voted for Rep. Jim Jordan to be the Speaker of the House. Now that he has withdrawn, I am running again to be the Speaker of the House.”

The House is trying to replace former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted from the role Oct. 3, in a 216-210 vote in which eight Republicans voted against him.

Scott is among nine Republicans now hoping to replace McCarthy.

After McCarthy was removed from the Speaker seat, Scott spoke out against the Republicans who voted against McCarthy — who had also received the backings of Trump up until his demise in the position.

“This motion to vacate was a selfish waste of time motivated out of the personal spite of a select few toward McCarthy. It disrupts out ability to govern and pass needed appropriations,” he posted on X.

He later added: “There is nothing principled about what they did, and Republican leadership will have to decide to either hold these members accountable or lose the faith of the rest of the conference.”

Who is Austin Scott?

Scott was elected to Congress in 2010, officially taking office in 2011 in the position he now holds.

A Tifton native, Scott attended the University of Georgia in 1987 to study risk management and insurance. He graduated in 1991, starting an insurance brokerage in his hometown.

He was elected to the Georgia House in 1996 and served until being elected into Congress where he now serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Armed Services Committee and as vice chair of the House Agriculture Committee.

Scott describes himself as an ardent supporter of pro-life legislation and lauds his votes in Congress that defunded Planned Parenthood, which provides reproductive and sexual healthcare, including abortion services. According to his website, he believes immigration is the most important domestic issues facing the U.S. and supports securing U.S. borders and removing the illegal immigrants. 

In light of the ongoing war in Israel, prompted by an Oct. 7, attack Palestinian militant group Hamas, Scott said Israel’s “continued qualitative military edge in the region” and completing the U.S.-Israel 10-year Memorandum of Understanding for military assistance remains a key American national security priority.

“U.S. security assistance to Israel, including supporting Israel’s acquisition of the Iron Dome rocket defense system, has never been more important for our own national security interests,” he said on his website.  

Where does Scott stand on Trump and Republican politics?

Scott spoke out against the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the related efforts to overturn the 2020 general election results, which declared Democrat President Joe Biden the victor in the race.

He was among a dozen Congress members who signed onto to a letter a day before the attack addressed to (then) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and (then Minority Leader) McCarthy urging them to uphold the Constitution by counting the states electoral votes, despite unfounded claims of election fraud from Trump and other Republicans.

“Congress doesn’t have the Constitutional authority to overturn a state’s electoral votes — nor does the vice president — and I believe my decision to support the Electoral College fulfills my sworn oath to the Constitution,” he said.

He also praised then Vice President Mike Pence — who was tasked with counting the electoral votes before Congress— who stood firm against pressure from Trump and his allies to “overturn” the election results.

“I’m proud of his commitment to fulfilling his duty to the Constitution as well,” Scott said.

The House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump the following week for “inciting an insurrection” stemming from his actions and language leading up to the Capitol attack.

Scott was not among the 10 Republicans who joined Democrats in impeaching Trump in a 232-197 vote, and released a statement in response.

“Speaker Pelosi and liberal Democrats seek to further divide our nation rather than work towards unity — unity that many on both sides of the aisle have stated is critical for our country at this time,” Scott said in a statement following that vote.