McCarthy passes House speaker test; hurdles remain
WASHINGTON — Republican leader Kevin McCarthy won the nomination, Tuesday, for House speaker, clearing a first step with majority support from his colleagues, but he now faces a weekslong slog to quell right-flank objections before a final vote in the new year.
McCarthy has led House Republicans this far, and with the party now on the cusp of majority control, he has a chance to seize the gavel from Nancy Pelosi if Democrats are defeated.
The GOP leader pushed through the internal party election on a 188-31 vote, with ballots cast by new and returning lawmakers, but the challenges ahead are clear. McCarthy will need to grind out support from no fewer than 218 lawmakers from his slim ranks when the new Congress convenes, in January, leaving just a few votes to spare.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” McCarthy said, his voice strained after the vote.
The Californian noted that past speakers fell short in initial voting only to eventually claim the gavel, and he has highlighted backing from right-flank Republicans Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as part of his “vast support.”
“Either we’re going to lead as a team or we’re going to lose as individuals,” he said.
But Republican leaders are facing an intense backlash on Capitol Hill over their disappointing performance in the midterm elections, when McCarthy’s promises of a GOP sweep that would transform Washington collapsed. Instead, the House could have one of the slimmest majorities in 90 years, leaving McCarthy exposed to challengers and risking his ability to govern.
The fallout is spilling down-ballot into other Republican leadership races and into the Senate, where Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell will face a challenge from GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, the party’s campaign chairman, in elections, planned for today.
The former chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, challenged McCarthy but fell short. He still insisted that his speakership “should not be a foregone conclusion” and said five votes went to neither candidate, an indication of broader opposition to McCarthy.
Many in the Republican Party are blaming their losses on Donald Trump, who announced his 2024 bid for the White House, on Tuesday evening, from his Mar-aLago club in Florida. The former president endorsed hundreds of candidates, many of them far-right contenders rejected by voters.
It’s not just McCarthy whose leadership was in question but others on his team. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the campaign chairman who traditionally would be rewarded with a leadership spot, ended up slugging it out in a three-way race for the GOP’s whip job, defeating Trump ally Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., after a second round of voting.
The No. 2 Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, had an easier time, winning the majority leader spot uncontested, by voice vote. Also unopposed, Rep. Richard Hudson, of North Carolina, will lead the campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee.