It was now completely open how McCarthy would secure the remaining votes in the hours leading up to the next vote on Wednesday afternoon (local time/18:00 CET). At the same time, the names of alternative candidates for the position were already circulating.
After the November parliamentary elections, Congress convened for the first time on Tuesday in a new constellation. Republicans have taken control of the House of Representatives – in the Senate, President Joe Biden’s Democrats still have a narrow majority. The Republicans’ bitter internal struggle for leadership in the House of Representatives has been going on for weeks. It is the first time in a hundred years that an election has required more than one attempt and that a parliamentary group has not elected its candidate for office in the first round.
McCarthy needed 218 votes to vote. In the first two attempts, 203 fell on him – in the third only 202. He obtained fewer votes than his Democratic competitor Hakeem Jeffries. The leader of the Democratic faction was nominated for the post by his party. However, it is considered impossible for him to make the race. He would need Republican votes for that, as the Democrats are the smallest faction in the chamber. Republican lawmakers spoke of “chaos” after the election.
It is now open to question whether lawmakers who have been loyal to McCarthy so far will continue to do so. McCarthy was combative shortly before the session and said, “I hold the record for the longest speech on the floor.” He has no problem setting the record for most votes cast in a vote for the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies. Until the presidency is clarified, nothing works: the Chamber cannot begin its work, nor can new deputies be sworn in.
It is likely that intense negotiations are taking place behind the scenes. It is also possible that a new candidate will be chosen and established that a majority of Republicans can agree with. One name that keeps coming up is Steve Scalise. The Republican is already part of the party leadership. He had lined up behind McCarthy on Tuesday. Elise Stefanik is also mentioned. She was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2014 as the youngest woman at the time and was considered a moderate. She is now one of former President Donald Trump’s iron supporters.
Trump’s right-wing supporters in the Republican faction, however, prefer Congressman Jim Jordan. He was already running for election on Tuesday and got votes from McCarthy. After the failed vote, Jordan emphasized that he himself did not want to become Speaker of the House of Representatives. The right is also unlikely to be a viable compromise candidate for many in the party.
Traditionally, the election for Speaker of the House of Representatives is a formality. But several party colleagues rebelled against McCarthy and had already made it clear before the election that they did not want to vote for McCarthy. He made a series of concessions to his opponents, since, with the narrow majority of Republicans in the House, he depends on almost all the votes.