WASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Reuters) – Republican Kevin McCarthy vowed on Tuesday to continue his fight for the powerful speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives, hours after hardliners in his party repeatedly blocked his bid to lead their brand new majority.
On the first day of what could turn out to be a brutal showdown between about 20 hardliners and the remaining 202 members of the Republican caucus, McCarthy fell short of the 218 votes needed to become speaker in three ballots, second only to the Oval Office. Position after vice president.
It was a confusing start for the new Republican majority and highlights the challenges the party may face over the next two years heading into the 2024 presidential election. Their slim 222-212 majority gives more leverage to a small group of hardliners who want rule changes that would give them more control over the speaker and more influence over the party’s approach to spending and debt.
Late Tuesday, McCarthy told reporters that former President Donald Trump had called him and reiterated his support. Trump has endorsed McCarthy in the race and remains a powerful figure in the Republican Party.
McCarthy, 57, of California, knew she faced an uphill battle in Tuesday’s vote and had vowed to keep voting. But the House voted Tuesday night to postpone until noon ET (1700 GMT) Wednesday, which would give Republicans time to discuss other nominees.
Conservative Rep. Jim Jordan, 58, of Ohio, won 20 votes in the final vote of the day, far short of the 218 threshold needed to become speaker, but enough to stop McCarthy.
“I think Kevin knows this is his last shot,” said Rep. Kenneth Buck, who voted for McCarthy’s endorsement. He noted that McCarthy previously tried for speaker in 2015 and failed against conservative opposition, adding, “He’s not going to get that chance again.”
A protracted speaker election could undermine House Republicans’ hopes of moving quickly on an investigation of Democratic President Joe Biden and his administration, as well as on legislative priorities that include the economy, US energy independence and border security.
The chamber’s top Democrat, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, beat McCarthy on all three votes. At the end of the day, Jeffries led McCarthy by 212 and 202 votes. A majority of voters, not a plurality, is needed to appoint a speaker.
The showdown would leave the House largely paralyzed and could force lawmakers to consider another Republican candidate. In addition to Jordan, the election of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (57) from Louisiana was considered possible.
The last time Parliament failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot was in 1923.
‘RALLY AROUND HIM’
[1/10] U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is surrounded by reporters after the first day of the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2023 in Washington, D. On the same subject : The Best Arthouse Movies on Netflix, for When You Want Your Mind Blown and Your Soul Shaking.C. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Jordan himself had spoken in support of McCarthy before his nomination and voted for him all three times.
“We need to rally around him,” Jordan said in an impassioned speech to parliament. “I think Kevin McCarthy is the right man to lead us.”
Jordan is a staunch Trump ally and co-founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Jordan, a former college wrestler, is preparing to oversee the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation of the Justice Department and FBI under Biden.
McCarthy’s staunch opponents worry that he has not invested deeply enough in the culture wars and partisan rivalries that have plagued the House — and even more so since the Trump White House years.
Before the vote, McCarthy tried to persuade holdovers at a closed party meeting by promising to stay in the race until he got the necessary votes, but many attendees left the gathering undeterred.
McCarthy suggested to reporters later Tuesday that the path to him becoming speaker was for members to vote “on” — neither for nor against — which would lower the threshold needed to secure the job.
McCarthy has spent her adult life in politics, as a congressional staffer and state legislator before being elected to the House in 2006. As speaker, McCarthy would have the power to thwart Biden’s legislative ambitions.
But any Republican speaker will have the difficult task of leading a House Republican caucus that is drifting further to the right, with uncompromising leanings and — at least among some lawmakers — a close allegiance to Trump.
Battles with the party’s right wing cut short the careers of the last two Republican speakers, with John Boehner resigning in 2015 and Paul Ryan deciding not to run for re-election in 2018.
In the 1850s, the record number of rounds of voting for the election of the Speaker of the House was 133 in a two-month period.
Democrats selected Jeffries as minority leader after Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as speaker, announced she would step down from her leadership role. He will remain in office as a representative.
Reporting by David Morgan, Moira Warburton and Gram Slattery; Additional reporting by Richard Cowan and Makini Brice; Edited by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell, Will Dunham and Howard Goller
Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Washington-based correspondent covering campaigns and Congress. Previously posted in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Santiago, Chile and has covered extensively throughout Latin America. Co-winner of the 2021 Reuters Journalism of the Year Award in the business reporting category for a series on corruption and fraud in the oil industry. He was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College.
Does the speaker of the House have to be from the majority party?
The Speaker is elected at the beginning of the new Congress from among the candidates with a majority of the elected representatives, who are selected from among the candidates of the majority and minority parties.
Is the chairman of the house from the majority party? The Speaker of the United States is traditionally the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives, ahead of the majority leader. On the same subject : Trump must face seditious, obstruction charges, panel says Jan 6. However, despite the right to vote, the speaker usually does not participate in the debate.
Has there ever been a Speaker of the House from the minority party?
“Although Keifer was the minority candidate for speakership, Reed became its recognized leader and remained the most prominent member of his party as long as he served in the House. See the article : Out of 50 major housing markets in America, only 6 now have more new real estate now than before the pandemic. That’s what that might mean. Another scholar argues that the position of minority leader existed even before 1883.
How many votes does it take to be a Speaker of the House?
In order to be elected chairman, the candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes cast, not an absolute majority of the full members of the plenary assembly (currently 218 votes in the 435-member chamber).
What does majority mean in Congress?
A majority vote means that more than half of the members voted yes or no. (4) ________ votes are required for a majority in the Senate.
What is majority rule in government? Majority rule is a principle that means that the decision-making power belongs to the group with the most members. In politics, majority rule requires that the deciding vote has a majority, i.e. more than half of the votes.
What is the difference between a majority and a supermajority in Congress?
A majority would be any percentage above 50%, but a supermajority prescribes a higher percentage, usually between 67% and 90%. The higher threshold requirement makes it very difficult to achieve a supermajority and often delays the decision-making process.
What is considered a majority vote in Congress?
Two-thirds or 66.66… A two-thirds vote, if not qualified, means two-thirds or more of the votes cast.
How many votes needed for speaker of House 2023?
To be elected Speaker, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes cast, not an absolute majority of the full members of the House – currently 218 votes – in the 434-member chamber.
How many Democrats are in the Senate? Party breakdown Senate: 50 Republicans, 47 Democrats and 3 independents,7 all running with Democrats. assumes that no seats are temporarily vacant. As of 13.12.2022, there are four vacant places in the building.
What is the term of French senators?
In France, senators are elected by indirect general elections, by the “electorate”. Half of the seats in the Senate are elected every three years; the term of office is six years.
What are the 4 duties of the Senate?
Their constitutional powers include; proposing legislation, drafting or amending bills, delaying or blocking legislation through lengthy debate, confirming or rejecting presidential appointments to federal budget and executive branch oversight agencies.
Who elects the French Senate?
Choosing. Senators are indirectly elected by approximately 150,000 officials known as grands électeurs, including regional councillors, ward councillors, mayors, municipal councilors of large communes, as well as members of the National Assembly.
