Who Will Be The Next House Speaker?

House Republicans are in search of a new speaker — or maybe the same one who just got booted.

Shellshocked after eight rebellious Republicans voted with all Democrats to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, GOP members said they don't know for sure who will be the next speaker.

"It's too early in the game to know," Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, said. "We haven't heard from Mr. McCarthy. We haven't heard from these eight individuals. So we'll have to see. But what we have to have a speaker."

House Republicans were meeting Tuesday evening in a meeting where McCarthy will likely say one way or the other whether he wants to try to be elected speaker again after being ousted or pass the baton. His answer will weigh heavily on what happens next.

Some want McCarthy to stay in the fight, allow the conference to renominate him and pressure his detractors to drop their opposition.

"My personal opinion: I hope Kevin keeps going. I don't think anybody could do a better job," Rep. Kelly Armstrong said.

The North Dakota Republican said the fact that every single Democrat voted to oust McCarthy "shows you that as a Republican and as a conservative how effective he's been, not just as a speaker, but how effective he's been growing our majorities for the last 10 years."

"I don't know anybody else who could do that," Armstrong said.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said he expects the GOP Conference to renominate McCarthy.

"He doesn't quit," Barr said of McCarthy, adding, "We're right back to where we were on Jan. 3."

Other McCarthy backers said they want to see what he has to say to the conference and whether there's a case to be made that he can eventually get to 218 votes.

"If the problem is he can't win again, then we're going have to move in a different direction," Rep. Steve Womack siad. "So to be determined."

The Arkansas Republican, who presided over the chamber during the debate and vote on McCarthy's ouster, said he wants to take the temperate of the conference to see if "the Only Kevin, the OK group" feels like this was as far as they could take McCarthy, or if they see another path forward.

"There may be some members of that group that think think, 'Okay. All right. We've done it. This is the worst outcome. Now let's go back and figure out who's going to be our leader going forward,'" Womack said.

Many Republicans, like Armstrong, did not want to float alternatives to McCarthy without knowing what he is going to do.

But some have pointed to House Majority Steve Scalise, R-La., as the logical next in line given he's currently the No. 2 Republican.

Even Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who led the McCarthy rebellion, has said he would support Scalise for speaker and "maybe" even nominate him.

"I want to hear from him," Gaetz said.

Babin also pointed to Scalise as an option in the event McCarthy steps aside, as well as Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

"We got we got a hierarchy already," he said. "We've got some very capable people."