Kevin McCarthy struggles for support ahead of Speaker vote

• McCarthy and the Republicans don’t get the speakership on the first try
• he has been trying to convince Republicans to vote for him before the first vote
• Right-wing Republicans don’t support him

Kevin McCarthy has trouble getting enough support to become Speaker of the House.

The California congressman needs to get a majority vote in the House on Tuesday.

Even though he made some last-minute concessions, some Republicans won’t vote for him.

To win, Mr. McCarthy can’t lose more than a few votes from his own party.

In US politics, the Speaker of the House is a very important job.

They decide what the House will do and who will be on committees.

If McCarthy and the Republicans don’t get the speakership on the first try, it could hurt their credibility and make it harder for the House Republicans to look into the Biden administration and Hunter Biden.

In the midterm elections in November, the Democrats lost 222 of the 435 House of Representatives seats to the GOP.

McCarthy ran for Speaker of the House after the election and won with 188 votes.

Since then, he has been trying to convince Republicans to vote for him before the first vote in the new Congress on Tuesday. There will be 35 senators sworn in.

If McCarthy wins, Pelosi will be replaced by someone else.

Right-wing Republicans don’t support him, which makes it less likely that he will become speaker.

Due to the small number of Republicans in the House, McCarthy can only lose four of their votes and still become speaker.

Democrats will not back him.

McCarthy’s bid to be speaker is turned down by Trump supporters known as “Never Kevins.”

Bob Good and Matt Gaetz say McCarthy is too mainstream and establishment.

“Kevin McCarthy won’t get my vote. He’s problematic. He’s not helpful “Mr. Good said Monday. “Nothing suggests he’ll change his pattern as a member of the swamp cartel in leadership.”

“He’s essentially a shill for the establishment,” Gaetz stated last week. Kevin McCarthy is a conduit for lobbyists and special interests, in my opinion.

Some may be cautious about his earlier position towards former President Donald Trump during the Capitol riots in 2021, when he blamed Trump for the attack.

McCarthy is optimistic he’ll win Tuesday’s vote despite opposition. “I think tomorrow will be good,” he said.

He’s made concessions to win over Republicans who oppose him or are undecided.

Republicans want to make it simpler for a few legislators to challenge his authority as Speaker, undermining his standing in the House.

McCarthy first declined. With time running out, he revealed a package of rule changes on Sunday, including how the Speaker may be dismissed. Any five Republicans can now demand for the Speaker’s removal.

These didn’t win over some right-wing Republicans, either.

In a letter posted Sunday, nine Republicans claimed Mr. McCarthy’s concessions are “nearly impossible late”

“There are still no precise guarantees on practically every aspect of our entreaties, so we can’t tell if promises are maintained or broken,” the report added.

No business can be conducted in the House, not even the swearing-in of new members.

If McCarthy loses the first vote, the House will keep voting until someone obtains a majority.

Mr. McCarthy vows to keep fighting even if he loses. There’s no other clear choice for speaker.

More than one vote to choose the speaker would be embarrassing for McCarthy and the GOP.

No first-time speaker candidate has lost in the first vote in over 100 years, so this might hurt the Republicans’ credibility.

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