Congressman Dan Meuser, R-9, who represents Schuylkill County, is one of nine Republicans seeking to become the next House speaker.

Meuser said over the weekend that as a candidate, he is pledging to support the Speaker Designate duly elected by the House Republican Conference - regardless of who that candidate is - when their election proceeds to the House floor. “It’s time to put politics and personalities aside and unite behind the next Republican Conference choice for Speaker,” he said in a statement.

“Let’s get back to work on behalf of the American people,” he said.

Nine Republicans - from the party’s No. 3 leader to an up-and-coming conservative in his second term - are seeking to become the next House speaker, Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., announced Sunday, according to wire reports.

The nine contenders will meet with Republican colleagues behind closed doors Monday night to make their pitches ahead of a closed conference vote to pick a nominee Tuesday morning.

Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C., told reporters Friday that his goal was to have a candidate on the floor Tuesday and elect a speaker by the end of the week. Two previous nominees in the past three weeks - Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio - dropped out after being unable to secure the 217 votes needed on the floor if every member is present and votes for someone.

The other candidates are Reps. Jack Bergman, Tom Emmer, Austin Scott, Pete Sessions, Kevin Hern, Mike Johnson, Gary Palmer and Byron Donalds.

Meuser, a former executive of a rehabilitation equipment manufacturer who also served as Pennsylvania’s revenue secretary, has been in Congress since 2019. He told CNN last week that he would bring a business perspective to the speaker’s job.