EXCLUSIVE — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) deserves to be House speaker should Republicans earn a chamber majority — and there appears not to be “somebody better” to run for the gavel, Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) told the Washington Examiner.
McCarthy announced his bid for House speaker on Wednesday in a letter to his caucus — just one day after midterm election votes poured in and the Republican “red wave” failed to materialize. While the GOP is still expected to take back the House, an internal debate among lawmakers and conservative groups has begun to transpire over whether McCarthy should be awarded the top-ranking position.
Former President Donald Trump notably endorsed McCarthy on Tuesday evening.
“Obviously, you know, I think we should have done better,” said Grothman in a Thursday interview when asked about the results of the elections so far. “But who else is running anyway?”
TRUMP ENDORSES McCARTHY FOR HOUSE SPEAKER
“You gotta show me somebody who is better,” he said in response to a follow-up question noting that the House Freedom Caucus, which is generally considered the most conservative bloc in the GOP conference, is reportedly poised to oppose McCarthy for House speaker. “I worked with [McCarthy] for eight years.”
Grothman added that he spoke with McCarthy several months ago and told the Republican he would support him for the top role.
The comments from Grothman, who has represented Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District since 2015, come amid intensifying disagreement over whether it is perhaps time for another lawmaker to lead the GOP conference. Next week, an internal vote is expected in the GOP conference, and a full vote would occur in early January at the start of the next Congress.
Republicans and their staffers are mulling over the midterm results and why things did not shape up as well as they thought, according to one senior GOP congressional staffer. As of this writing, Republicans hold 208 seats in the House, and Democrats hold 190. The magic number for party control is 218, and several races have yet to be called.
Some Republicans have taken to Twitter to voice opposition to McCarthy for the role, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). Gaetz, a member of the Freedom Caucus, has been calling members and advocating they vote against McCarthy for House speaker, according to sources who spoke with the Washington Examiner.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), another Freedom Caucus member, has hummed to a different tune. The Arizona Republican said on Wednesday that the GOP should have “a serious discussion” about leadership — adding his colleagues should not be “so fast” to rule out McCarthy.
One former top Trump administration official, however, told the Washington Examiner that it is time for another Republican leader.
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“Kevin McCarthy’s speakership is in deep trouble,” said Russell Vought, Trump’s former director of the Office of Management and Budget. “Members will have to go home and explain to constituents why they are voting for a leader who is not committed to waging war against the woke and weaponized government.”
“We need a wartime leader who eats confrontation with his adversaries for breakfast and is committed to an America First agenda,” he added. “Saving the country requires nothing less.”
