Republicans hope the chaos of recent weeks will become a distant memory in next year’s elections

Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election. WASHINGTON — “Embarrassing,” “chaotic” and “irresponsible.” And those were just the words that House Republicans used to describe the past three weeks as they removed one speaker from office and splintered over three successive nominees before finally landing on Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y. “They worked with the very people they tell us to run from to take out a speaker that 97% of our conference supported without zero plan on what to do next.” Rep. Suzan DelBene, the chair of the campaign arm for House Democrats, said candidates in key swing districts will contrast the fractures among House Republicans with a Democratic focus on the need to govern and meet constituents’ priorities. There was no political price for any of those members to pay.” The following year, House Republicans gained 13 seats in the election, giving them their largest majority since President Herbert Hoover’s administration. “We should be judged by not only those three weeks but how we now rebuild moving forward.” Rep. David Schweikert, who represents an Arizona district Biden carried in 2020, said he was going on radio shows and having conversations in Costco to get the message out that the House’s dysfunction was to be blamed on a handful of Republicans acting out of emotion rather than ideology.