Array
For a third consecutive day, a bloc of ultraconservative bomb throwers denied GOP leader Kevin McCarthy the speaker’s gavel Thursday, even after he caved on a set of concessions the right-wing Republicans were demanding.
In a seventh vote on Thursday, all 20 conservatives once again voted against McCarthy. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., again voted present.
It marked the seventh straight defeat for McCarthy, who has vowed not to drop his bid for the top job. While he still maintained support from roughly 90% of his GOP colleagues, the conservative rebels on Thursday banded together and were able to block McCarthy from securing the simple majority of the House needed to be elected speaker (a number that can shift).
It was a repeat of the previous two days when the small group of rebels rejected McCarthy during six consecutive floor votes — all of them televised. Because Republicans won a paper-thin majority in November, it will take nearly all of their 222 members agreeing on a pick for speaker before any other House business can move forward.
During Thursday’s vote 19 conservatives again backed Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida for speaker, while Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a leader of the so-called Never Kevins who have vowed never to support McCarthy, nominated and voted for former President Donald Trump. (The speaker of the House does not need to be a member of Congress).
Fierce GOP infighting over who should be the next speaker has paralyzed the House of Representatives, preventing lawmakers from being sworn in, delaying staff hiring and stalling the GOP’s legislative agenda.
