On Wednesday, the process of electing a new speaker of the US House of Representatives is anticipated to resume. On Tuesday, rebel right-wing Republicans humiliatingly prevented their favourite Kevin McCarthy from being elected speaker, throwing Congress into confusion.
The California congressman, who preside over House proceedings and is second in line to the presidency after the vice president, only needs a simple majority to be elected as Washington’s top lawmaker.
Republicans, however, failed to elect a speaker in the first three rounds of voting, which US media networks closely followed.
Instead of rejoicing in their newfound control of the House, the party is forced to engage in a protracted battle to choose a speaker, which risks escalating internal conflicts and jeopardising McCarthy’s political future.
The lower chamber, where the 57-year-old needed 218 votes, switched to a thin 222-212 Republican majority during the midterm elections last year.
He was stunned by 19 “no” votes from his own side in each of the first two rounds, and that number increased to 20 in the third because he had failed to persuade the party rebels, who included some prominent allies of the previous president, Donald Trump.
The Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries defeated him in each of the first three rounds due to his poor performance, but there is still little question that a Republican will finally take the speaker’s gavel.
McCarthy has long sought the position but withdrew from the race in 2015 due to several mistakes and a right-wing uprising.
“The next steps”
Even though he bowed to their demands to press for severe investigations of Democrats, including President Joe Biden, after taking control of the House, he was once again caught off guard by far-right rebels this time.
The Republicans were rapidly gathering momentum to regroup overnight, lick their wounds, and devise a plan to turn a crushing defeat into an improbable victory that would save their faces, so lawmakers decided to adjourn until Wednesday.
READ ALSO: US House members reject Kevin McCarthy as speaker on three ballots
Before the session ended, Florida’s Byron Donalds said, “Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes.” He asked party conference members to “recess and regroup” to find a solution.
The last time a new Congress’s speaker was chosen after more than one round of voting was in 1923, a century ago. In 1855, a speaker selection procedure required 133 vote rounds spread over two months.
McCarthy first intended to keep participants in the room and vote until he had succeeded in bullying his adversaries into submission. McCarthy had been attempting to prevent little cliques from straying off the floor to undertake their own negotiations.
According to US media, some members and workers who were supporting McCarthy had said earlier in the day that he should resign if he didn’t win the gavel in the second round.
The House is anticipated to hold more votes beginning at noon (1700 GMT) on Wednesday until a candidate emerges with a majority; it is possible that a new candidate who has not participated in the process could come to the fore.
Trump adherence
The idea among some on the far-right of McCarthy’s party that he is not sufficiently committed to Trump, who is running for president once again after losing to Biden in 2020, was a barrier to his election.
By the time the session was over, there was no strong Republican candidate to run against McCarthy, even though Steve Scalise, the incoming House majority leader and a McCarthyite who has made it clear he has his own goals, would have been an obvious choice.
But the “Never Kevin” crowd will probably view Scalise as more of the same.
McCarthy refused to answer a subpoena from a House committee looking into the attack on the Capitol in 2021. However, he has already promised the hardliners that the FBI and CIA will be looked into along with the Biden family and administration.
But the more he appears to be caving in to the right, the more probable it is that he will alienate moderates, igniting an already tense open conflict between the Senate and House Republicans.
There was some good news for the Republicans in Congress.
On Tuesday, the Senate also began its new session, and Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican minority, broke the previous record for the longest tenure as Senate leader.
After the House adjourned Tuesday night, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “There is so much unnecessary upheaval in the Republican Party.” He made a point of blaming McConnell in particular for the splits, but he made no mention of McCarthy or the chaos in the House.
