House Members Nominate Rep. Mac McCutcheon as Speaker

Republican lawmakers gathered in Montgomery for the first time in months, looking for new leadership.

This comes after former speaker Mike Hubbard was convicted of 12 ethics violations in June, earning him 4 years in prison and kicking him out of his seat.

After a lot of deliberation, republicans are moving ahead with Representative Mac McCutcheon.

“I’m not Speaker Hubbard. He and I have different personalities. My leadership will be different. Not to say that I’m criticizing him for his. But we’re not the same person. And I think people should at least give us a chance because this is a new day,” said Rep. McCutcheon.

He has served in one of the highest positions in the house as the chairman of the rules committee, helping to decide what bills would be on each days agenda.

He says his first move is to reach out to democrats

“Let them know what my plans are and what I’m about as far as being speaker because I want to create an atmosphere where I’m fair with everybody. Every member of the house is important,” said McCutcheon.

Many of the republican members came to the caucus meeting with fairness and change in mind.

Montgomery Representative Dimitri Polizos says he’s pleased with the group’s pick.

“He was one of them. I had two guys, and I said he’s going to do a good job for us. He’s been there a while and he’s very experienced. I think the people will be pleased,” said Rep. Polizos.

This doesn’t automatically earn McCutcheon the job. He still has to get approval from the full House of Representatives.

With a republican supermajority, the odds are very much in his favor.