What's next for the House of Representatives? Political expert weighs in on the upcoming days

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Following the historic ousting of Representative Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House, questions are swirling on Wednesday about what's next.

Dr. David Richards, Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Lynchburg, said this is unprecedented territory, and the upcoming days will be interesting to watch unfold. Representatives will have the opportunity to throw their name in the hat for House Speaker. Then, there will be an official vote, which could take mere hours to days.

"Last time there was an election was when McCarthy was elected, and it took many different rounds of voting. Maybe this time, they'll get behind a candidate and won't take that long or we could be looking at days and days of political wrangling and voting," Dr. Richards said.

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Dr. Richards said a replacement House Speaker is likely to be chosen next week. As for potential contenders, Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies said he will run again.

On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced he will run, while Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) and Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Oklahoma) have expressed interest in running.