Alan West? What am I missing. He wasn’t reelected.
You don’t have to be a member of the House to be selected Speaker.
Doesn’t need to be. The Speaker does not have to be a current elected offical. If you could get some of these guys to vote for you, you could be elected as Speaker of the House.
Anybody can be Speaker if they can get the votes. There are no constitutional requirements for the job, although I imagine the Founders expected someone living and of good character to be chosen.
In addition to Allen West, Colin Powell also received a vote for Speaker today.