Rep. Kevin McCarthy Secures The Gavel
Rep. Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the House early Saturday, after a grueling days-long fight laid bare the divisions between parties – and within his own – in a dismal foreshadowing of the legislative process under the GOP majority in the next two years.
The California Republican succeeded in swaying remaining holdouts to clinch the votes that appeared out of reach just days ago when ballot after ballot yielded almost no progress in a marathon week of voting unlike any speaker election since the Civil War. But on Friday morning, the tide began to shift for McCarthy, after negotiations earlier in the week progressed toward a deal, earning him 216 votes to secure the gavel in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
“That was easy,” McCarthy joked as he delivered remarks to lawmakers, who were finally sworn in at 1:40 a.m. Saturday.
“You know, my father always told me – it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” McCarthy went on. “And now we need to finish for the American people.”
His remarks struck a broad bipartisan tone. He emphasized unity and pledged to work with anyone in the interest of bettering the lives of Americans. But he also made clear that he would pursue Republican priorities like crime and inflation. He promised oversight and investigations, naming the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the origin of the coronavirus as two targets, and he pledged to hold a hearing on the southern border. He also pledged that the House would be a check on President Joe Biden’s authority, insisting that the first bill the chamber would consider would be a measure to pull funding the administration recently secured for some 87,000 new IRS agents.
McCarthy made repeated references to his complicated path toward the speakership, wearing it as an emblem of his resilience.
“I’ll be honest. It’s not how I had it planned,” he said, later adding, “I hope one thing is clear after this week: I never give up.”
For a short time Friday night, it looked less than certain that his confidence would be rewarded. By afternoon, before lawmakers adjourned for a number of hours to secure the final votes, six GOP holdouts remained: Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Rep. Bob Good of Virginia and Rep. Matt Rosendale of Arizona – some of the first to publicly express opposition to McCarthy’s bid for speaker.
During a first vote Friday night, in which McCarthy and his supporters appeared convinced they had secured the necessary support, Biggs remained opposed to McCarthy, voting instead for Jordan, joined by Good. Rosendale and Crane voted for Biggs. But two of the most vocal detractors this week – Gaetz and Boebert – voted present on the late-night vote. Since McCarthy was required to take a majority of those who voted for a specific person – not including those who voted present – he was still left one vote short of his goal.
As time ticked on the 14th ballot, McCarthy personally walked over and appeared to attempt to persuade them to change their votes to support him. With all eyes on the pair, each of whom had the power to grant McCarthy the speakership with their support, neither appeared willing to change their vote. And in a stunning scene, GOP Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama appeared to lunge toward Gaetz before being restrained by a colleague. After a fleeting attempt to adjourn, the chamber proceeded to another vote.
Read more here.
