Republican hopefuls at the Conservative Action Political Action conference were competing for a spot in Congress and competing for who should be in charge after they get there.
Many of the aspiring candidates Insider interviewed at CPAC gushed about how much they admired leading Republicans, including disgraced former President Donald Trump.
The political neophytes appeared to be less sure about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the man they would look to for guidance in a Republican-run 118th Congress. One member of this wait-and-see caucus said they were waiting until they got to Washington and could find a party boss.
McCarthy, who surprised the pundit class in 2020 by gaining a dozen seats instead of suffering a double-digit loss, is trying to finish the job this fall by getting enough Republicans to wrest back control of the chamber from Pelosi.
It's more difficult to climb the career ladder if a bunch of people join the ranks.
The California Republican dropped out of the speaker's race due to opposition from the House Freedom Caucus.
Two members of the Freedom Caucus, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, are keeping McCarthy awake at night. Gaetz is under federal investigation for potential sex traffickers while Greene is trying to distance herself from an alt-right figure after making a surprise appearance at one of his white nationalist rallies.
French, a first-time candidate running to oust Trump supporter Republican Rep. Jamie Beutler of Washington, mapped out a personal agenda that includes following up on Trump's baseless claims about election fraud in 2020.
He was absent from his to-do list.
French said that he wouldn't seek his endorsement and would have to think about who should be speaker if Republicans regain control.
French said that he would have to see what the field of candidates were.
Lee Murphy, who is running for Congress in Biden's home state of Delaware, said he would need to interview McCarthy before giving any support.
There are a lot of people in Congress that I respect, and I would like to meet the people who are vying for that position.
Mauro, a first-time candidate, told Insider that she agrees with the small government, low tax philosophy of the Freedom Caucus.
Mauro said that she was a huge fan of Jim Jordan, but reserved the highest praise for him.
Mauro thinks she is a super power, the third highest-ranking Republican.
Barton, who is running for Congress in South Carolina, said he really likes Jordan, but stopped short of supporting any House leader for now.
When asked if she was Team McCarthy, she laughed and said she wasreplace RINO Nancy Mace.
Centurion told Insider that he would make the decisions when he got there.
Insider has learned that some Republicans in Congress are waiting to see McCarthy's strategy before making any decisions.
"We want to see a plan," said Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina. Norman hoped that McCarthy would include spending cuts, boost military pay, and clear the path for more conservative Republicans to run for office.
Green gave McCarthy high marks for keeping things together. He doesn't think there will be much standing in McCarthy's way if Republicans pick up more seats.
If we gain 20 seats, Kevin McCarthy will be the speaker and I will be supporting him, a two-term lawmaker said. Green said that a slimmer margin of five to six seats might give skeptics additional pause.
Billy Long said that McCarthy has nothing to worry about.
Long told Insider that the House had no competitive leadership races last time.
Jordan told Insider that he had no interest in mounting a leadership challenge. He hopes to chair the Judiciary Committee and focus on defending the First Amendment, which guarantees the right to free speech.
McCarthy will be the speaker, according to Jordan.
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