And the election of the owner of the House of Representatives – the lower house of the US Congress – known as the “Speaker of the House”, the third most important figure in American politics, requires a majority of 218 votes.
Republican Kevin McCarthy is the front-runner to replace Democrat Nancy Pelosi as his party won a narrow majority of House seats in the November midterm elections.
However, the congressman elected by the 22nd district in California was unable to obtain this majority due to the rebellion of a group of the Republican Party itself, made up of supporters of former President Donald Trump who consider him too moderate.
McCarthy did not reach this number after three rounds of voting due to the opposition of about 20 members of Congress who support Trump, so the members of Congress decided to postpone the session until Wednesday morning to allow time for behind-the-scenes negotiations – the election of the Speaker of the House. The number of deputies can be determined in a matter of hours, or it can take weeks. In 1856, it took two months.
In the first two rounds of voting, 19 Republicans opposed McCarthy, leaving the candidate 15 votes short of a 218-seat majority. At the start of the third round of voting, the annoyance became apparent and some moderate Republicans began asking their colleagues to support McCarthy. “We came here to do things,” Republican leader Steve Scales said, drawing laughter from Democrats.
In the third round, the situation worsened for the congressman from California, as the number of Republican opponents rose to 20, who blocked the nomination because they consider it McCarthy does not support them in their initiatives, that is, to change the rules of work of the House of Representatives itself.
Throughout the voting, the Biden party rallied around Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ candidacy, applauding him to chants of “Wise, Wise, Wise!” However, the congressman elected from New York does not have enough countable votes to be elected, unlike McCarthy.
McCarthy’s candidacy has broad support within his own party. Indeed, the announcement of his candidacy on Tuesday in plenary was met with a standing ovation. However, the congressman will have to make tough decisions.
McCarthy seems ready to make concessions to the conservatives to avoid history repeating itself, because in 2015 the right wing of his party also prevented him from taking office. But he also can’t take a stand against moderate Republicans. Although McCarthy’s room for maneuver has diminished, at the moment he has no strong opponent – as a potential replacement, only Jim Jordan’s name is being circulated.
candidate He already promised today that he would not give up the raceAdding that Donald Trump spoke with him and that he supports him. After Tuesday’s session ended, Trump – who plans to run again in the 2024 presidential election – slammed what he saw as “unnecessary agitation” within the Republican Party.
With the Republicans once again in control of the House of Representatives, Biden and the Democrats have lost the ability to pass new initiatives. The same will happen to the Republicans in the Senate, where the Democrats are in the majority.
To stand in the ranks of the systemic opposition, Republicans must unite. However, the budget vote in December saw some voting on the side of the Democrats. With the election of the “Chairman of the Council”, the division re-emerged.
A hostile House could benefit Biden, if he confirms his intention to run for president again in 2024.
The president has been careful about commenting on Republican divisions. His spokeswoman, Karen Jean-Pierre, confirmed that the Democratic leader “will not interfere with this process.”
In the event of legislative paralysis, the US president should blame the Republicans for the blockade, hoping that they will benefit politically.
In the opposite direction, the Republicans intend to use the majority they gained in the midterm elections to open a series of investigations. Most of them target the US President, Democrat Joe Biden, among them over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Hardcore alcohol maven. Hipster-friendly analyst. Introvert. Devoted social media advocate.”
