Representative Kevin McCarthy conceded Tuesday that he won’t be able to claim the mantle of US House speaker on the first round of voting, the first time in a century that the top position in Congress has required more than one ballot.
(Bloomberg) — Representative Kevin McCarthy conceded Tuesday that he won’t be able to claim the mantle of US House speaker on the first round of voting, the first time in a century that the top position in Congress has required more than one ballot.
The California Republican acknowledged to his colleagues that he knows at least five Republicans will vote against him on the first ballot, according to a lawmaker in the room. McCarthy, who needs 218 votes to become speaker, can only afford to lose four Republicans in the narrowly divided House if all Democrats oppose him, as expected, and all members are voting.
The steadfast opposition from conservatives within his own party marks a historical rarity as well as a personal humiliation for McCarthy on the same day that Republicans take control of the House. A multi-ballot speaker vote hasn’t occurred since 1923, when it took nine ballots for Frederick Gillett of Massachusetts to be elected.
“There’s times we’re going to have to argue with our own members, if they’re looking at for only positions for themselves, not for the country,” McCarthy told reporters after the meeting.
At least 14 Republicans have not yet promised their support. Some of his most fervent opponents, including Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida and Bob Good of Virginia, have indicated there’s nothing McCarthy can do to get their votes. McCarthy said Gaetz told him he didn’t care if the result was Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries gets elected speaker.
The House will continue voting until a speaker is selected. It cannot conduct other business until that’s done.
The chaos in the speaker election raises questions about Republicans’ ability to govern amid internal struggles over the direction of the GOP between swing-district moderates and conservatives who have taken up the populist agenda of former President Donald Trump.
Representative Nancy Mace, who supports McCarthy, said he received several standing ovations during the meeting. The South Carolina Republican expressed frustration with the House Freedom Caucus members who are leading the opposition.
“When asked point-blank what more they wanted, the House Freedom Caucus could not say what more they wanted,” Mace said. “They are holding our agenda hostage.”
Missouri Representative Ann Wagner, another McCarthy backer, said the GOP meeting “was not productive.”
Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania made clear Tuesday he would not support McCarthy after weeks of negotiations.
“Every single American agrees that Washington is broken,” Perry said. “Interestingly enough, over the 14 years that he’s been in leadership, he’s done almost virtually nothing to change it.”
McCarthy, 57, who has been backed by Trump, sought to win over some of his detractors by making several concessions to conservative demands in a slate of proposed administrative House rules floated over the weekend. Those included making it easier for a small group of lawmakers to call for the speaker’s ouster and a proposal for more ideological diversity on committees. But nine GOP members sent a letter in response, saying that the California Republican’s plan didn’t go far enough.
McCarthy’s troubles are likely to be further complicated by the political sideshow involving newly elected Representative George Santos, the New York Republican who has admitted he made up much of his resume, including that he graduated from college and worked for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup.
Santos’s fabrications only became public after he was elected in November. Federal and local officials have since opened investigations into the discrepancies. One unanswered question is if Santos violated campaign finance laws. McCarthy has so far been silent about whether he plans to discipline Santos, despite other Republicans calling for action against him. With such a slight margin, McCarthy can’t afford to lose Santos’s vote for speaker.
The speaker’s vote will occur after the members arrive on the House floor at noon and before they are sworn-in for the new Congress. In all, 434 members are expected to vote Tuesday, 222 Republicans and 212 Democrats. One seat is vacant after the death of Representative Donald McEachin, a Virginia Democrat, in late November.
The speaker voting will be held by public roll-call and a simple majority of more than 50% of all votes cast from both parties is required to win.
It’s unclear who would have support among enough Republicans to beat McCarthy in a multi-ballot deadlock. No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise has been discussed privately by some members as a potential fall-back, as has Republican Representative Patrick McHenry. Both appeared Tuesday to be standing behind McCarthy.
In recent years, both Democrat Nancy Pelosi and Republican John Boehner have entered the floor voting for speaker with rank-and-file party colleagues threatening to oppose them. Both managed to emerge victorious on the first ballot.
The tight margins McCarthy faces foreshadow a challenge that will dog Republicans for the next two years. The new rules proposal would also eliminate the ability for House members to vote by proxy, an option that was introduced during the pandemic. This means that Republicans will need to keep close track of all of their members because a couple of absences could mean they don’t have enough “yes” votes to pass legislation.
–With assistance from Emily Wilkins, Laura Davison and Laura Litvan.
(Updates with lawmaker remarks after meeting beginning in fourth paragraph)
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