Support for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to become the next House Speaker appears to be falling quickly after nine members of the Republican House of Representatives wrote a stinging letter warning that his election would be a “continuation of past and ongoing… republican failures.”
On Sunday, McCarthy met with GOP members to gather support for his election as speaker on Jan. 3 when the new Congress takes office.
Several GOP representatives, including Pennsylvania’s Scott Perry, Arizona’s Paul Gosar, Texas’ Chip Roy, North Carolina’s Dan Bishop, Maryland’s Andy Harris and Georgia’s Andrew Clyde, along with Tennessee’s Andy Nogales, MP-elect, Anna Florida’s Paulina Luna and Arizona’s Eli Crane have spoken out against McCarthy’s candidacy and vowed to vote against him.
On New Year’s Eve, McCarthy wrote a letter entitled “Restoring the People’s House and Ending Business as Usual,” in which he acknowledged the dysfunction of the House of Representatives and his promise to make things right — but that didn’t go down well with everyone in the GOP.
Support for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to become the next House Speaker appears to be falling quickly after nine members of the Republican House of Representatives wrote a stinging letter warning that his election would be a “continuation of past and ongoing… republican failures.”
“Regrettably, despite some progress being made, Mr. McCarthy’s statement comes almost impossibly late to address the continuing shortcomings before the opening of the 118th Congress on January 3,” the letter from the nine GOP members read.
“In this state, it is not surprising that the vague hopes expressed in far too many of the crucial points still under discussion are inadequate. This is particularly true with regard to Mr. McCarthy’s candidacy for speaker, as times call for a radical departure from the status quo – not a continuation of past and ongoing Republican failures,” the letter said.
‘McCarthy’s statement also continues to suggest limiting the availability of the traditional vacancy request to hold leadership accountable for their promises; We made it clear from the start that we will not accept following Nancy Pelosi’s example by isolating leadership in this way,” the nine GOP members of the House of Representatives said in their letter on Sunday.
“We also note that the statement does not fully address the issue of the leadership working to defeat conservatives in open primaries. The progress made so far has been helpful and should guide our thinking for the future.’
On New Year’s Eve, McCarthy wrote a letter entitled “Restoring the People’s House and Ending Business as Usual,” in which he acknowledged the dysfunction of the House of Representatives and his promise to put it back in order
Some far-right lawmakers within the party also claim that there needs to be a reshuffle of leadership.
McCarthy, a California congressman, faces a speaker pick challenge from Arizona Republican Representative Andy Biggs.
Biggs, along with Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia and Matt Rosendale of Montana, have publicly expressed plans to vote against McCarthy in the Jan. 3 election.
With the exception of Gaetz, four of the members are on the House Freedom Caucus.
The five lawmakers have organized to try to block McCarthy from collecting the 218 votes needed to take the gavel from outgoing Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. They have also vowed not to have McCarthy pick them up individually and said they would discuss any concessions he offered.
Democratic House Speaker Steny Hoyer said Sunday he would be “surprised” if Kevin McCarthy weren’t elected by his party to be the next House Speaker
When asked if McCarthy had what it takes to be a speaker, Hoyer said, “We’ll see.”
Hoyer added if McCarthy wins the election, it will be proof he can at least work against the odds.
“He obviously has — if he gets 218 votes — the ability to garner the votes to become party leader,” Hoyer told CNN. “And then he’ll be tested to see if he can lead or not.”
‘But you know, he worked pretty hard on it. He came close to the Holy Grail and had to take a step back. He didn’t give up, he kept going. And it seems to me that he will be the speaker.’
Arizona GOP Rep. Andy Biggs has launched a bid against McCarthy for speaker — and has the backing of four other Republican lawmakers who want to prevent McCarthy from winning
Hoyer says he has a good “working relationship” with McCarthy.
Last week, McCarthy proposed a rule change that would make it easier to remove a House Speaker, a demand by influential GOP opponents, in exchange for his own promotion to the position.
Under current rules, only a member of the House leadership can petition to impeach the speaker, but McCarthy’s proposal would allow any member of the House to force a vote to impeach the speaker at any time.
Currently, only members of the House leadership can do so, under rules implemented by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.
McCarthy needs at least 218 votes to secure the speaker’s post, but with the Republican Party’s narrow majority in the 222-seat House of Representatives, any further drop could jeopardize his chances.
During his meeting with other GOP members, he acknowledged how rank and file members could call for the speaker’s removal, although it’s unclear how many members would need to sign the motion.
Earlier Sunday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he would be surprised if Republican leader Kevin McCarthy weren’t elected by his party as the next Speaker – but didn’t say if he was up to the task.
‘I’d be surprised if he doesn’t [win]Hoyer told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning. ‘My expectation – he will be spokesman.’
The new Congress will convene Tuesday, January 3 and see Republicans regain control of the lower house — but not the Senate.