Republican leader Kevin McCarthy failed to win his party’s support to become House Speaker despite these three attempts. Read to know more about the disunity among Republicans and the drama to ensue.
Kevin McCarthy fails to become House Speaker
On Tuesday, the United States House of Representatives adjourned without selecting a new House Speaker following Kevin McCarthy’s failures. The Republican leader was unsuccessful in gaining support from his party members after three consecutive rounds of voting. The situation is a great embarrassment to the GOP as this is the first since 1923 that the majority party nominee was unable to gain votes for the top job. The House will be reconvening on Wednesday to start the process again. However, the outcomes are uncertain.
US medical reports reveal a rebellion against McCarthy from within the Republicans. On Tuesday, the 188th session of the Congress commenced with 435 members of the House of Representatives gathering to elect the Speaker. McCarthy, vying for the top job was unsuccessful in reaching the required 218 votes despite the Republicans having a majority of 222 seats. As per a BBC report, a group of conservatives split from the party and opposed the leader on “ideological and personal grounds”. However, they are backing other candidates including Jim Jordan and Paul Gosar. Jordan is a Republican from Ohio. However, in a show of unity, he nominated McCarthy. On the other hand, Gosar is a far-right leader from Arizona.
More on the ‘once-in-a-century’ embarrassment
In the initial two rounds, McCarthy gained 203 votes. However, by the last round, he lost the support of Bryon Donalds, another Republican member. On the other hand, Jim Jordan won a total of 20 votes in the third round. Democratic Pary with its 212 members rallied behind Hakeem Jeffries unanimously. Jeffries of New York won with 212 votes in all three rounds and was named the House minority leader. Additionally, the 52-year-old is the first black leader in Congress and will be succeeding Nancy Pelosi.
As per experts, Tuesday’s events are seen as a “part of the battle over the direction of the GOP between swing-district moderates and conservatives who have taken up the populist agenda of former President Donald Trump”. Additionally, the American media is interpreting the lack of support for McCarthy as s strong example of the rising disunity within the Republican party.