Unless Republicans win a majority in the House and Senate on Election Day, there is a good chance the R vs. D battles within each chamber will continue post-November 8.
If Republicans claim 62 seats and the majority in the House, we know their will be a Republican Speaker. The drama will be within the party on whom that man or woman is. If Republicans net nothing in the House, however, I believe we could predict the Democratic caucus nominee will be the new Speaker.
Where it gets murky, and the drama potentially unfolds in the House, is if Republicans net three to five seats and are sitting in the high 50s. That is where all the fun backroom dealing, pledges, and un-kept pledges will occur. At that point, a Republican/ conservative Speaker is very much a possibility and I imagine we will see much of what we saw four years ago between Billy McCoy and Jeff Smith.
Majority in Mississippi
6/29/11
Magnolia Tribune
