The historic ousting of Kevin McCarthy as House speaker hands Democrats a political gift: The opportunity to both mock their opponents’ misfortune and to raise money off it.
(Bloomberg) — The historic ousting of Kevin McCarthy as House speaker hands Democrats a political gift: The opportunity to both mock their opponents’ misfortune and to raise money off it.
“Republicans are in ruin,” Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Washington State Democrat, said in an email seeking contributions for her reelection. “They are wallowing in their own pigsty of incompetence.” She asked for a $3 donation.
More than 20 Democrats in Congress sent fundraising emails following Tuesday’s vote to remove McCarthy as speaker, according to PunditAnalytics. Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz and a small faction of hardline conservatives who were upset that McCarthy worked with Democrats to avert a government shutdown last week forced his demotion.
President Joe Biden joined in, sending a campaign email that tied the effort to leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“After removing their own Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, a bunch of extremist Republicans are throwing their name in the ring,” the fundraising email said. “Republican power players like Marjorie Taylor Greene are even floating a Trump speakership. Seriously!”
Gaetz himself fired off fundraising emails as he castigated McCarthy over his attempts to keep the government open.
Republicans now have to choose his replacement in what’s likely to be a messy and complicated process, since it will require agreement from almost all GOP House members. The chamber’s legislative business grinds to a halt until then. Interim Speaker Patrick McHenry has called for a vote Wednesday.
The prospect of Republicans fighting among themselves and publicly trading insults allows Democrats to stay above the fray and let the opposing party figure out a way to resolve its embarrassing squabble.
Read More: Gaetz Supports Scalise and Jordan to Replace McCarthy as Speaker
A fundraising email from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday said that “extreme MAGA Republicans” have thrown the House into “chaos, crisis and confusion.”
“Who knows how long it will take for them to get their act together,” he continued in the email. “On the other side of the aisle, House Democrats are united and ready to get to work.”
Representative Adam Schiff, running for a California Senate seat, asked donors for money before the vote. “I don’t have anything good to say about Matt Gaetz,” the text read. “But this much is true: No one trusts Kevin McCarthy.”
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