It’s Groundhog Day on Capitol Hill as House Republicans failed miserably for a second day on Wednesday to elect Representative Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker in what is proving to be political chaos as the new majority begins.
For the sixth time, mainstream Republicans nominated McCarthy as their speaker as the House of Representatives spiraled deeper into disarray.
The House of Representatives voted noon, and a McCarthy ally quickly nominated him for the job with a rousing speech designed to deter critics.
“Sure, it looks messy,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin. But democracy is messy, he said. “The American people call the shots.”
But no one seems to be in charge right now, save for the GOP hardliners, who keep increasing the California Republican’s chances of becoming the 118th speaker.
answers six key questions about the race for Speaker – which seems to have no end in sight.
WHY DOES THE HOUSE NOT ALWAYS CHOOSE A NEW SPEAKER?
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the GOP leader of the House of Representatives, perhaps in name only, needs 218 votes in the full House of Representatives.
However, a consortium of 19 ultra-conservative Republicans – who call themselves the “Never Kevin Caucus” – have warned the California Republican that he does not have the votes.
Two days and five speaker elections later, the House is no closer to a speaker than it was on Tuesday.
California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, has lost several votes for Speaker of the House since Tuesday
WHAT DOES “NEVER KEVIN CAUCUS” WANT?
Members of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, including Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Chip Roy of Texas and others, presented McCarthy with their final bid Monday, which included demands for high-profile committee jobs and substantial budgets to investigate the Biden administration in exchange for their votes.
McCarthy refused, saying he had gone far enough to placate lawmakers.
Based on the last five votes, the NKs just seem to want him out now – in short, anyone BUT McCarthy.
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert wants former President Donald Trump to withdraw his support for McCarthy.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE LOWER CHAMBER?
Put simply, the house cannot function without a speaker. It takes a leader to swear in 75 new members, assign committee chairs, decide ground procedures and initiate oversight investigations. Everything is delayed until a speaker is chosen and sworn in.
“The spotlight needs to be on these 19 – now 20 – who are stopping the business of Congress that we were elected to do,” said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. ‘It’s on them.’
Rep. Elect George Santos of New York (right) speaks with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) (L) in the House chamber on the second day of the House Speaker election at the US Capitol Building January April 2023 in Washington , DC
WHAT CHOICES ARE MCCARTHY’S?
The beleaguered GOP leader is left with two choices: continue “fighting the ground” or step down.
McCarthy supporters, who hold the majority of votes, swear to vote for him.
New York State Representative Michael Lawler says he supports Kevin McCarthy “whether it’s the first vote, the second vote, the third vote or the hundredth vote” during an interview on Meet the Press.
However, critics of McCarthy want him to end the fight for control of the House of Representatives and thus the soul of the GOP, and enlist the former president’s help.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, a hot-headed Colorado conservative, nominated Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., the day’s protest candidate-elect — and challenged former President Donald Trump, the Conservative hero, to tell McCarthy, “Sir, You don’t have the votes and it’s time to retire.’
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
To this day, a solution seems out of reach for all sides, and it has been a century since this last happened. It remains unclear if and when McCarthy will cross the threshold to become the next Speaker of the House. The current number of Republicans who have pledged their support to other candidates stands at 20, with some suspecting that list is growing.
On Tuesday, Republicans opposed to McCarthy nominated a slew of other candidates, including Biggs, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and even former Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York. And on Wednesday, the first black Republican was nominated for the role, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida.
The nominee for Speaker needs a majority of the votes cast by the members of the House of Representatives present and voting. Any lawmaker who votes “present” lowers the total number required to achieve a majority, but that’s not a winning solution.
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds was named House Speaker three times on Wednesday, replacing McCarthy.
IS THIS PRE-OCCURRENT?
The last time the House did not choose a Speaker on the first ballot was in 1923, when the election spanned nine ballots.
By that time, Republicans had won the majority, despite losing a staggering 77 seats and narrowing their lead over Democrats from 171 to just 18. The majority party had appointed incumbent MP Frederick Gillett, R-Mass. but several other candidates, including a Democrat, received votes during appeal.
This led to a series of votes spanning three days before House Majority Leader Nicholas Longworth, R-Ohio, held an emergency meeting with opponents. Their concerns, similar to those against McCarthy, centered on a number of rule changes they believed deserved a fair hearing. Longworth signed on and the next day Gillett collected the 215 votes he needed to remain speaker.
Members speak in the House of Representatives chamber as the House of Representatives meets for a second day to elect a Speaker and convene the 118th Congress on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 in Washington.