What’s Happening:
After four long years battling the radical left, Republicans have retaken the House. That means, they get to elect their own Speaker, ousting old Nancy Pelosi. But just as they begin the new Congress, a handful of Republicans are going rogue.
Despite leading the party as House Minority Leader for years, some are refusing to vote for Kevin McCarthy to be the next Speaker. But he doesn’t need every Republican to vote for him to win. He just revealed a way he can get the gavel, despite this small revolt.
From The Hill:
House GOP Speaker nominee Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) expressed optimism about winning the gavel Tuesday night as he emerged from meetings with allied members following three failed ballots, floating the possibility of winning the post with fewer than 218 votes…
The House Speaker is elected by a majority of all those voting for a specific Speaker candidate, not necessarily all members. Those voting “present” and those who are absent do not count toward that total, lowering the threshold.
Technically, all McCarthy needs is a majority of votes to win. When all members of the House are voting, you need 218 votes to win the Speakership. But if enough representatives don’t vote for someone, just stating “present” lowers the threshold.
That means, McCarthy only needs 213 votes to beat the Democrats. But that will require some members to either be absent from the voting or to not vote for another candidate. Can McCarthy make that a reality?
It would require 11 Republicans who previously didn’t vote for him to vote for him in the next round. And to get the rest of them to not vote for anyone at all. That might be a longshot since these Republicans have proven to be stubborn thorns in the party’s side.
Many are upset that, after everything that’s happened, these few congressmen are hurting the GOP. They clearly don’t have enough votes to elect someone else. And if they keep meddling, they might end up giving the Speakership to the Democrats.
All this petty bickering only makes the Republican Party look weak and directionless. The very last thing they need going into the new Congress. The party needs to wake up and unite–or else it will be two more years of Democrats robbing the country blind.
Key Takeaways:
- Kevin McCarthy floated another way he can win the Speakership without full support.
- If enough Republicans vote present, it will lower the threshold, allowing him to win.
- A handful of Republican congressmen are refusing to vote for McCarthy, throwing the House into chaos.
Source: The Hill
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