TEXAS, USA — Congressman-Elect Keith Self won’t take his oath of office until January when the 118th Congress convenes.
But the Collin County Republican says he’s already accomplished his first order of business: selecting his office suite after a lottery.
“I picked number 35. But my first choice was still available. It reminded me of the NFL draft, although we only get five minutes to make our choice,” the Congressman-Elect said while smiling on Inside Texas Politics.
When Self is sworn in, Republicans will control the U.S. House of Representatives after they barely flipped the chamber.
They’ll first have to choose the next Speaker of the House, a position long coveted by Congressman Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican.
But McCarthy may not have the votes, as a handful of incoming Republicans have already said they won’t support his bid.
Self was blunt when asked if McCarthy should seek out Democratic support to secure the Speaker’s gavel.
“Absolutely not. The Republican conference will elect this speaker,” he told us.
And now that Donald Trump has announced a third run for President, Republicans across the country have been asked if they support him.
Like many others before him, Self said he’s not even thinking about it.
“I’m not even focused on the Presidential Election,” the Republican said. “My entire focus is becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, getting my staff in place, getting our constituent services in place and that’s my entire focus.”