Jacob Ogles
Did U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan curse out Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the House floor?
A new report in Puck documents an angry exchange between the Longboat Key Republican after the GOP Steering Committee denied him the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee. The gavel instead went to U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, a Missouri Republican fifth in line in terms of seniority.
“You f**ked me. I know it was you, you whipped against me,” Buchanan reportedly told the California Republican.
Sources close to Buchanan would not confirm the phrasing but acknowledged words were shared between the men.
“Vern simply expressed his disappointment to Speaker McCarthy,” said Max Goodman, Buchanan’s political adviser.
The Puck report suggested the interaction between Buchanan and McCarthy became so heated security had to step in between the men, something McCarthy’s office denied.
The same sources who offered a more colorful verbatim account to Puck suggested angst has grown around what Buchanan may do next. Many wondered if the episode and McCarthy’s betrayal will prompt Buchanan to leave Congress early. That’s something that could deliver a blow to McCarthy as he leads a slim 222-seat Republican majority in the House.
The rumors appear informed by a Punchbowl News report before the Ways and Means race concluded that Buchanan might quit if he didn’t obtain the chairmanship.
Buchanan denied the report then and continues to tamp down talk of an early departure now.
“Talks of Vern getting ready to resign are positively ludicrous,” Goodman said following reports of the recent blowup.
Yet in Southwest Florida and within Florida’s consulting class, news of the exchange seemed to be greeted as a particularly colorful retirement announcement. Speculation began immediately on who might run to succeed Buchanan in Florida’s 16th Congressional District.
A name atop the list is state Rep. James Buchanan, the Congressman’s son. Many expect the Buchanan team to start rallying around the Florida lawmaker as a natural successor. That said, there’s no overlap as of now between the elder and younger Buchanan’s districts.
Locally, speculation surrounded state Rep. Tommy Gregory, a Lakewood Ranch Republican, ever since he came out early in favor of Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ draft congressional maps.
Republican Party of Florida Chair Joe Gruters also comes up frequently. The state Senator represents roughly a third of the congressional district. And former state Senate President Bill Galvano, a long-time Manatee County lawmaker, has been floated as a candidate as well.
The Ways and Means results were a surprise to many in Buchanan’s orbit. Buchanan had seniority on the panel over all other Republican members. And while there were reports McCarthy had encouraged Smith to run because he felt Buchanan had more loyalty to Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Buchanan’s political team always believed McCarthy would support the Florida lawmaker, the only Sunshine State Representative seeking a full committee gavel this Congress.
Buchanan and McCarthy entered the House the same year, and Buchanan raised more money for the National Republican Congressional Committee than anyone not already in leadership, around $4.1 million. That included hosting McCarthy for fundraisers at Buchanan’s Longboat Key estate.
The awarding of chair positions in the new House are made by the 33-member House GOP Steering Committee as a whole. Buchanan sits on that committee, though he could not participate in the vote on Ways and Means because he was running. McCarthy has a weighted vote on decisions, worth four times that of most members.
Should Buchanan resign, it would be up to DeSantis to schedule a Special Election for his replacement. A timetable for that would need to take into account time for qualifying, for a party Primary and for a deciding matchup. The last time that occurred for a congressional election was after the death of U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat.
Buchanan won re-election in November by a landslide 24 percentage points over Democrat Jan Schneider. However, he has faced nationally backed Democrats in prior elections, most recently Margaret Good in 2020, whom he beat by 11 points, and David Shapiro in 2018, whom he defeated by 9 points. Those elections were under a different configuration of the district that included more Democratic areas such as the city of Sarasota.
Buchanan first won election to the House in 2006, by just 369 votes over Democrat Christine Jennings when running for an open seat. It’s likely Democrats would put up a fight in the event Buchanan quit or chose not to seek re-election. Republican Donald Trump won the district in the 2020 Presidential Election by fewer than 9 percentage points.
So what are the prospects the 71-year-old incumbent chooses not to seek re-election in 2024? That’s not a question Buchanan is prepared to answer.
“As always, those decisions will be made at the appropriate time,” Goodman said.
25 comments
Mac Wiseman
January 17, 2023 at 11:33 am
Great job with the firey click-bait headline based on a blog or other type of obsure media source “Puck” which nobody has ever heard of. Keep up the great fight my leftist Comrad!
Jim
January 17, 2023 at 12:23 pm
Florida Politics followed up with a quote from Buchanan’s political adviser. Good enough for me.
GTFO Vern! Quit now. Only four more to go.
Matt Schlapp's Slap
January 17, 2023 at 11:01 pm
Of course you’ve never head of Puck if all you ever watch is Faux News!
I was watching Faux News on January 6 2021. Bret Bair was on set right in front of the Capitol as the MAGA morons stormed the building.
The Orange Seditionist released his first Tweet which again reiterated the lie about an election being stolen. Bret turns to Matt Schlapp and says “Matt, some people still believe the election was stolen.”
No sh*t people still believed that Bret! You keep broadcasting the Orange Seditionist’s lies!
Did Matt grab at Bret’s manhood?
Does Bret have any manood?
Stay tuned to the Faux News Channel to find out!
Toddy Crabtree
January 18, 2023 at 3:49 pm
You are so easily brainwashed! Do your research! Don’t listen to the Donkey or the Elephant NEWSCASTS!
TRUMP WON! 2000 MULES!
Research
January 19, 2023 at 10:40 pm
Wasn’t doing your own research how you call got COVID? Lol
Paul
January 18, 2023 at 4:44 pm
Puck you wimp! Now, go plant your melon back up the fraudulantly placed Presidents crack, where it belongs!
HairPlugsDementia
January 18, 2023 at 5:06 pm
Classless marxists….
Cold joke
January 19, 2023 at 10:40 pm
“Classless Marxist”
Your like the Berlin Wall or Ronald Reagan
I’m just waiting for you to fall lol
Do it
January 19, 2023 at 10:37 pm
Can one of you start a fight so I can see republicans beat each other?
Crotte
January 17, 2023 at 4:45 pm
I see a lot of opinions here but very few facts. Time to publish news not opinions.
Toddy Crabtree
January 18, 2023 at 3:49 pm
Yes!
Donald E. L. Johnson
January 17, 2023 at 6:15 pm
Rep.Buchanan has several options.
1. Support the W&M chair and McCarthy and cash in when he wants something.
2. Fight the chair and Speaker and make their lives miserable knowing they will have to give him what he wants when he wants it.
3. Make some kind of statement. Quit.Retirement is a blast.
4. Be quiet and happy he won’t be blamed for blowing the 2024 elections for the GOP as the chair and McCarthy will be.
5. Support his son’t candidacy if it happens. Otherwise buy a new yacht.
Oveida
January 17, 2023 at 6:37 pm
Florida just went through a redistricting and just about every Republican district has been reinforced, if fact every Republican district remained Rep in 2022, plus they picked up a traditional Dem seat in Pinellas County
Jan Schneider
January 18, 2023 at 12:18 am
Governor DeSantis himself did the red-istricting.
Christine Howe
January 18, 2023 at 4:25 pm
Of course he did, Florida is in compitition with Texas as the assholiest state in the union and deathsantis is making sure we we win the title.
HairPlugsDementia
January 18, 2023 at 5:07 pm
Learn to spell comrade….reading is fundamental…..
I know
January 19, 2023 at 10:42 pm
“Reading is fundamental”
Too bad education in Florida is not lol
truepatriot
January 19, 2023 at 12:40 pm
My god you’re a freaking idiot!!
Htos1av
January 19, 2023 at 11:51 am
DEEstroyed gillum(the XXY homox gomorrahn) and Corrine “downtown” Brown, here in Jacksonville. She was going to “redraw” north Florida from the cabbage cops on I-95s to Orlando-a ONE ROAD WIDE gerrymander to FOREVER erase all of our votes in Christian, white, military n.e. Florida.
Jan Schneider
January 18, 2023 at 12:12 am
I ran against Vern Buchanan in new CD 16, which is much darker red than the predecessor. I believe you will find that we did comparably to Shapiro and Good with all of Sarasota County cut out.
Leon County Democrat
January 18, 2023 at 12:35 am
Good story here. Nice job good sourcing
Kevin L
January 18, 2023 at 7:15 am
A major Political Implosion is underway.
The silent GOP Cowards are allowing the vermin in their club to gnaw away at the very core of constructive Congressional power.
Charlie McCarthy is not only going down… he’s taking the worst of Humanity on the Hill (and Karma Lago with him.
Not a bad thing, just pointing it out for those who aren’t paying attention.
Michael McGough
January 18, 2023 at 2:58 pm
Good article Jacob Ogles!
Duties
January 18, 2023 at 4:06 pm
Buchanan is a RINO as far as I’m concerned, one of many RINOs in Congress who meekly sat on their hands in 2020 after the White House was stolen. I really don’t care what he does, and he’s my representative.
Christine Howe
January 18, 2023 at 4:27 pm
He is just another piece of gop garbage that is in it for the money and nothing elsr, Hope he rots in hell forever.
Comments are closed.