If Nancy Pelosi cannot get 218 votes for speaker, and there is no apparent alternative candidate, Congress might consider electing an outside person as a reform speaker. While it has never happened before, the Constitution allows it in Article I, Section 2.
Given that we will have a divided government, prospects for significant accomplishments are low. But electing an outside speaker dedicated to reforming Congress and opening up the legislative process might provide both parties with an opportunity to test their legislative craftsmanship and reform Congress in a bipartisan way.
The voice of the voters matters, so even under this scenario, the Democrats would still be the majority party with control of all of the committee chairs. Committee control guarantees control of the agenda because only bills passed by committees can come to the floor. But a neutral speaker could work to bring balance to the Rules Committee by creating a 6-6 tie between Democrats and Republicans, with the provision that the committee has 30 days to advance legislation to the floor.
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