CNN
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House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and his critics are gearing up for a potential seat battle for the Presidency in January, with Republicans gearing up for a new majority. just as it raises the possibility of nasty intra-party showdowns that can bring uncertainty and confusion.
McCarthy claims to hold the 218 votes needed to secure the presidency. The conservative hardliners who are plotting to remove McCarthy say otherwise.
What happens if you don’t get 218 votes? no one knows
“You can’t beat someone in the middle of nowhere and no one else is running,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, a Republican from South Dakota who endorses McCarthy as Speaker of the House. “Even if another candidate were announced, that person would not be in a better position to get 218 than Kevin.”
McCarthy’s opponents say another candidate will emerge, and negotiations have already begun to recruit a replacement.
“There are quiet talks going on with other candidates,” said Rep. Bob Goode, a Republican from Virginia. Rep. Bob Goode is one of the few conservative hardliners who publicly said he would never vote against Mr. McCarthy. “But as you can imagine, these candidates would be very hesitant or unwilling to go public in any way.”
If McCarthy loses four or more Republican votes on Jan. 3, he is expected to fall short of the 218 votes needed to claim the presidency. The House of Representatives then selects a particular candidate and continues to vote until one of the members present who do not vote “present” receives a majority of votes. Even if that happens, McCarthy still insists he won’t drop out.
“Oh yeah, I’ll take the speaker fight to the floor,” McCarthy told CNN.
McCarthy also said he would vote on the floor as often as he could, predicting “I’ll get there.”
Meanwhile, it also delves into the most fierce detractors of the California Republican Party.
Members of the hard-line House Liberties Committee met with members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday and were briefed on the floor rules and procedures that govern the voting process for the presidency. And some of McCarthy’s opponents could repeat their pledges to oppose him on the floor, call on Republican leaders to pull out of the race now, and begin searching for serious alternatives.
“He can get away with it now,” said Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs, former co-chair of the Liberal caucus, which lost to McCarthy in the nomination for chairman of the conference, on a potential seat. Told. “He has no votes. He can move on to another candidate. I want to entertain someone else.”
The two sides’ commitment to hold their voice wars through January is becoming a political game of chicken, suggesting both sides are willing to accept the other’s bluff. But most Republicans hope that won’t happen, and will be in the wrong tone as they come to power and work to protect their small majority while preparing for a tough two years of reign. I am worried that
“I don’t want to see that happen. of the speaker showdown on the . “But the goal is to prevent that from happening, to make sure everyone is on the same page, and to create unity so that they are ready from day one.”
Tennessee Representative Chuck Fleischman, another McCarthy supporter, added: …I hope and pray for unity. ”
Some Republicans think the hardliners are bluffing.
“Maybe they’re just trying to promote themselves a little?” Indiana Rep. Greg Pence said the behind-the-scenes views of Conservative lawmakers are more colloquial than those made public. added.
Asked if he could instead vote for Steve Scalise, McCarthy’s second-place finisher, Pence said, “I’m voting for Kevin McCarthy. He’s going to win.”
1923 was the last time a vote for the chairman was put to multiple ballots. He also lasted two months for the longest time in history to elect a president, with a total of 133 votes cast.
In recent weeks, part of McCarthy’s pitch to his critics has been that if they don’t unite, in theory the Democrats will band together to separate a handful of Republicans and elect the next speaker on the floor. It was possible.
“Challenging the floor is never a positive thing, and it doesn’t actually turn the seats to Democrats,” McCarthy told reporters this week.
But Biggs dismissed that possibility. Also, while most Republicans don’t see it as a serious threat, they personally concede that the presidential election may be voted multiple times.
“I wouldn’t buy it,” Biggs said. “Name the Democrats that Republicans vote for.”
Some moderates and mainstream Republicans are increasingly frustrated by their colleagues’ threats to cause chaos on the floor. And some of them have their own caveats: If the ballot goes to the ballot a second time or more, they plan to keep voting for McCarthy. To do.
“Many of us are upset. We voted and McCarthy got 85%,” said Nebraska Representative Don Bacon, representing the district where Joe Biden was elected in 2020. mentioned an internal Republican election when Republicans endorsed McCarthy for the nomination. “The right thing to do is to band together around people who are widely supported. Otherwise, the meeting will be undermined and the team will be hurt.”
So far, at least five House Republicans have vowed to oppose Mr. McCarthy’s chairmanship. For McCarthy, it’s a problem because he can only afford to lose four Republican lawmakers.
McCarthy’s enemies say he has bigger problems.
“Well, I think that’s a lot more than people realize,” Goode said of McCarthy’s “No” vote. So it’s becoming more and more obvious that he doesn’t have the vote, and other candidates have to be considered.”
To win the injunction, McCarthy designed it to empower members of the public, such as allowing members to submit more amendments and giving them more notice before expedited bills were introduced to the floor. brokered negotiations on potential rule changes.
McCarthy has also spoken about what he will do as a speaker, from dangling a possible impeachment inquiry into Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas to threatening to investigate a House Select Committee that will investigate Jan. 6, 2021. made a public statement about whether to
“We still have a long way to go,” said Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, the current Liberal caucus chief of staff. However, he added: That’s the beginning. ”
