House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) overcame his first hurdle in obtaining the speaker’s gavel after receiving support from more than half of his conference during a closed-ballot vote on Tuesday, but he lacks backing from the 218 members needed to secure the position in the floor vote in January.
McCarthy emerged from the vote after winning the nomination acknowledging that it “won’t be easy” but touted the GOP’s projected flip of the majority.
“I’m proud to announce the era of one-party Democrat rule in Washington is over. Washington now has a check and balance. The American people have a say in their government,” he told reporters. “And this new Republican leadership team is ready to get to work, to put America back on the right track.”
Former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) announced a challenge to McCarthy during an appearance on Newsmax on Monday evening after hinting at a bid as the increasingly powerful conservative caucus continues to flex its muscle, pushing for rule changes that would diminish McCarthy’s power should he become speaker.
The reforms include easing the process for the motion to vacate the chair, a mechanism used to oust a sitting speaker; changes to the Steering Committee, which is tasked with selecting who chairs and sits on different standing committees; and a push to slow down the legislative process by allowing for more amendments.
McCarthy ultimately beat Biggs in a 188-31 vote. Two members told the Washington Examiner that five votes were cast for other individuals who are not seeking the position.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) nominated the California Republican for the role, with Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) also giving a speech in support of his candidacy.
“Managing the different expectations of everyone here and balancing that with what is the right path for the conference and, more importantly, the country — that is the reason we have won seats in two election cycles and are taking back the House,” Armstrong told the room.
“Kevin has taken all the incoming from every direction so that we don’t have to. He has barnstormed the country, raising over $500 million, holding events in 40 states — and financially supported more than 125 members, candidates, and state parties. Every single person in this room has benefited from his work, and in a few short weeks, we will have the gavels,” she said.
FREEDOM CAUCUS THREATENS TO DERAIL MCCARTHY’S SPEAKER BID
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) nominated Biggs during the closed-door meeting, telling members of the conference, “It’s not a vote against Kevin, but a vote to force us all to the table to figure out how — not if — how we will come together as a party, to reshape the conference rules, rethink the makeup of steering and the very structure and operation of the rules committee, and, most of all, lay out a specific agreed-to agenda and battle plan around which we can unify.”
McCarthy’s path to the speakership became more tenuous after Republicans fell significantly short of their anticipated red wave, forcing him to walk a tightrope in garnering support from the different factions of his party, as Republicans are expected to have a razor-thin majority next year.
Some within the conference have called for McCarthy to provide a clearer blueprint for how he would lead in the majority, with a number of lawmakers taking issue with the way he supported certain candidates during the primaries. He also faced questions on whether he would back conservative priorities and faced criticism for not delaying the leadership vote since the party had not secured a House majority as of Tuesday.
Despite facing obstacles, McCarthy expressed confidence that he would have the votes needed to prevail on the floor in January, noting that former speakers of the House also saw defections during closed-door leadership votes.
“If you look at the last two speakers, Paul Ryan, he lost 43 votes. Nancy Pelosi had 32 votes, and no one was running against her. We have our work cut out for us,” he said. “We’ve got to have a small majority. We’ve got to listen to everybody in our conference.”
McCarthy critic Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said he doesn’t believe the California Republican can lock down the support needed to secure the position in January, taking aim at his leadership in the minority.
“Kevin McCarthy couldn’t get 218 votes, he couldn’t get 200 votes, he couldn’t get 190 votes today. So, to believe that Kevin McCarthy is going to be speaker, you have to believe he’s going to get votes in the next six weeks that he couldn’t get in the last six years,” the Florida Republican told reporters.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
McCarthy previously vied for, and then later dropped out of, the race to succeed then-Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in 2015 due to a lack of support following a gaffe related to the Select Committee on Benghazi and rumors of a personal life scandal he vehemently denied but were indirectly suggested in an open letter posted by the late Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC).
While McCarthy will have to garner the support of a sizable number of defectors in the conference vote, he managed to sway firebrand conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who was previously one of his most vocal critics, to rally behind him.
The floor vote is slated to take place in early January.
