NewsConference Extra: Kudos for House Speaker Mike Johnson
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Republicans have 222 seats, but with 20 Republicans opposing McCarthy, it seemed clear that either new concessions from McCarthy would be needed to win them over, or perhaps some middle ground candidate. The House abruptly adjourned Tuesday afternoon after three failed attempts to elect a speaker. Sen. Roger Marshal, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital that the House is having a "family fight" amid an ongoing saga to elect the next speaker. "What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office? How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?" the Florida Republican added.
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Kevin McCarthy, after ouster, says he won't run again for speaker - The Washington Post
Kevin McCarthy, after ouster, says he won't run again for speaker.
Posted: Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Won a closed-door vote to become the Republican nominee for speaker, but withdrew his candidacy after failing to win over holdouts before a floor vote. Greene could launch a bid to evict Johnson from the speaker’s office, should she call it up for a vote, much the way Republicans booted Kevin McCarthy from the position last fall. Jeffries, the Democratic leader, remained noncommittal to helping Johnson keep the speaker’s gavel, though some Democrats have suggested they would be inclined help defeat the motion to vacate through procedural maneuvers. Greene has filed a “motion to vacate” the speaker from office, and it drew another supporter Friday as Rep. Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican, co-sponsored the motion. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, another co-sponsor, suggested that before the House breaks next week others could follow, building pressure on Johnson to step down.
Kevin McCarthy falls short on first three votes for speaker in historic defeat
Twenty Republicans voted for Jordan on the third ballot, leaving McCarthy 16 short of the 218 votes needed to secure the post he has long sought. The repeated failure to elect a speaker is a clear sign of the divisions in the Republican Party. If McCarthy prevails, Congress will hand off power and influence from a California Democrat — Pelosi — to a California Republican. If he doesn’t, both leaders could be relegated to the back benches — one by choice and the other by force. The motion to adjourn was adopted with little opposition Tuesday afternoon following hours of roll call votes that failed to elect a speaker.
Up to 12 Republican holdouts could vote for McCarthy under new deal, source says
Several members voted “present,” including Reps-elect Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado., Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. A chaotic night on the House floor culminated after midnight Saturday with Republicans rallying behind Kevin McCarthy to elect him speaker. The scuffle happened between Reps-elect Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., after the 14th House speaker vote failed. Under pressure to step aside when there appeared to be no chance that he could clinch the speaker’s gavel, he hung on anyway. Mr. Gaetz said on Tuesday that lawmakers should not give the post to somebody willing to sell “shares of himself to get” it. Talking with reporters, he gamely brushed off the notion that his historic and humiliating slog to election — the most protracted such contest since 1859 — foretold any troubles ahead for him in governing with an unruly and narrow majority.
That includes a stronger HFC representation on key House committees, guardrails aimed at curbing excessive federal spending, and allowing just a single member of the House to make a motion to replace the speaker, lawmakers familiar with the framework told Fox News. "We BLOCKED Kevin McCarthy from becoming Speaker of the House," Biggs reportedly wrote in the email. "...but now, we conservatives must lead the fight to get the leadership we deserve. Saving this country from Joe Biden and the Left is going to be tough. That's why we need a leader who has the record, skill, and ferocity to lead the House GOP." The weekend poses a potential challenge for McCarthy, as he works to negotiate with a slim majority. Rep.-elect Ken Buck, R-Colo., had to leave the nation’s capital Thursday afternoon for a medical appointment — and other members may have conflicts as well.
Despite the slight increase in support, the size of the anti-McCarthy group has remained the same in the contest for House speaker. Rep.-elect Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, an ally of McCarthy’s, told reporters moments earlier that an agreement has been written and is currently being pored over by McCarthy’s side and members of the House Freedom Caucus. The deal also includes a requirement that legislation must be introduced for 72 hours before it can be passed and a guaranteed vote on term limits, according to Rep.-elect Ralph Norman of South Carolina. The vote to adjourn was largely split along party lines, with 219 Republicans in favor and 212 Democrats against. The House has failed to elect a speaker despite 11 rounds of balloting over the past three days.
GOP holdout Dan Bishop says he will resign if bid to stop McCarthy fails
Gimenez, former chief of the City of Miami Fire Department, highlighted that both Johnson and McCarthy are the sons of firefighters. GOP lawmakers who withheld their support for Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio during his three rounds of voting on the House floor are beginning to line up behind Johnson. As Johnson made his way from his House office to the floor, he told CBS News that he "feels very good" about the vote and believes he can secure the necessary 217 votes on the first round. The four absences mean Johnson will need 215 votes to win the speakership if all members in the chamber vote for a candidate. "House Democrats believe that when members of the body voted to reject the results of the 2020 election, they forfeited their ability to lead this chamber," Aguilar said.
How this Congress keeps setting records with its speaker votes
Pressed by reporters on Tuesday night about his efforts to overturn the election, Mr. Johnson smiled and shook his head, saying, “next question,” as Republicans beside him booed. A social conservative, Mr. Johnson is a lawyer and the former chairman of the Republican Study Committee. On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson was toiling to help Republicans turn the page from the chaos of the past few weeks. He said there would be none of the typical celebrations that accompany the election of a new speaker.
House speaker deal in sight that could gain votes for McCarthy, lawmakers say
Mr. McCarthy won the speakership in January after a marathon 15 rounds of voting. The House of Representatives is back in business today and its Republican majority is trying to make the most of their time in control of Congress’s lower chamber, with plans to take up a host of bills reflecting conservative priorities on immigration and the environment. While some Democrats may lend support from across the aisle, many of these proposals are simply messaging bills meant to impress GOP voters back home ahead of the November elections, and will probably be rejected by the Democratic-led Senate. Congress is lurching back into gear, with the House convening to consider several pieces of legislation that amount to conservative messaging platforms with poor prospects in the Democratic-led Senate.
The first two votes Tuesday included 19 votes for candidates besides McCarthy, which became 20 after Rep.-elect Bryon Donalds flipped to the anti-McCarthy side in the third vote. One member who is not worried is Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who has received votes for the speakership and has held out against McCarthy in four of the six votes. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., was the first to defect away from McCarthy, switching his vote during the third round of voting on Tuesday. McCarthy has failed to gain the required 218 votes to win the speakership in six straight roll calls since Tuesday. Nineteen opposed him in the first round of voting, but the coalition has since grown to 21 as lawmakers tire of the deadlock.
"When confidences are betrayed and leaks are directed, it’s even more difficult to trust. Totally unsat. I will not yield to the status quo." McCarthy has failed each ballot by 20 votes, and can only afford to lose four GOP votes. The only change of late is that some of these 20 Republican holdouts are redirecting their votes.
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