Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) revealed that he flipped to join the GOP rebellion against aspiring House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) Tuesday to "break a deadlock."
Donalds had been the sole House Republican to switch sides in the bitter GOP civil war standoff over McCarthy's speaker bid. However, Donalds did leave the door open to backing McCarthy in the future if a pathway emerges for him to clinch the gavel.
MCCARTHY DEFECTIONS GROW AS BYRON DONALDS CASTS VOTE FOR JORDAN
“What I’m going to do right now is vote for who I think is in the best interest of the conference. My vote yesterday was basically to break a deadlock because we were deadlocked, and we were not getting anywhere,” Donalds explained on CNN This Morning. "Right now, he doesn’t have a pathway to get there. If that reemerges, yeah, I can be there. That’s fine."
House Republicans were in disarray Tuesday after McCarthy lost three rounds of floor votes to become speaker. Donalds voted in favor of him during the first two votes and switched sides during the third one, fueling Republican defectors' claims that momentum is on their side, despite being outnumbered by about 202 to 20.
Kaitlin Collins: If you vote today are you voting for McCarthy or someone else?
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL): That remains to be seen.
Collins: You could potentially switch your vote back to Kevin McCarthy?
Donalds: My vote yesterday was basically to break a deadlock. pic.twitter.com/PlM8KK68qT
— The Recount (@therecount) January 4, 2023
Donalds added that it's "not clear" whether McCarthy will be able to salvage his bid for the speaker's gavel.
Neither side appears eager to blink, with GOP defectors blasting McCarthy for not making adequate concessions on committee assignments. The 20 defectors voted in favor of House Judiciary Committee Chairman-elect Jim Jordan (R-OH), who nominated and voted for McCarthy for speaker. Democrats have so far been unwilling to assist McCarthy by voting "present" to lower the typical 218-vote threshold needed to become speaker.
During the standoff, the two GOP factions traded fiery rhetoric, with Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who backs McCarthy, denouncing the defectors as the "Taliban 19."
"I think it's outrageous, and I like Don Bacon, but that kind of language is ridiculous. We're going through a legislative process, actually a democratic process where votes have to be earned, not just given," Donalds told CNN when asked about those comments. "We have to be careful doing stuff like that."
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The other 19 who voted against McCarthy include Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Bob Good (R-VA), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Scott Perry (R-PA), Andy Harris (R-MD), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Chip Roy (R-TX), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Mary Miller (R-IL), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Andy Ogles (R-TN), and Keith Self (R-TX).
Speakership votes are expected to continue until a breakthrough is reached. McCarthy has already moved into the speaker's office, and new members of Congress will not be sworn in until a speaker is selected. House Majority Leader-elect Steve Scalise (R-LA) is widely considered an alternative.
