Although the math on Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) path to Speaker of the House may be stacked against him, he still has the support of certain members. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) made it clear to reporters after Tuesday’s Republican Governance Group (RG2) meeting that McCarthy had both her and the majority of the Republican caucus. She said, “There is no Plan B,” indicating that she was entirely behind McCarthy’s bid for the presidency.
This backing contrasts the resistance from Republicans, some of whom have made it clear they won’t be supporting McCarthy. The new Congress will consist of around 50 people from RG2.
Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) of the House Freedom Caucus is McCarthy’s opponent (HFC). The organization has been lobbying McCarthy for a compromise.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) has proposed collaborating with Democrats to find an allegedly more moderate option if McCarthy fails to obtain the requisite 218 votes to become Speaker. Bacon also alienated some fellow Republicans with his proposal. Biggs was put forth for the job by Republican Texas lawmaker Chip Roy.
Bacon has not only upset Republican colleagues but also appears to have little support from the Democratic Party.
Democrats have elected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as House Minority Leader for the 118th Congress, which a Republican minority will lead. After Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) was interviewed by ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, December 4, regarding the prospect that “Democrats will collaborate” with the concept of backing a so-called “moderate Republican,” Stephanopoulos questioned Jeffries whether or not “Democrats will cooperate.”
Jeffries answered, “I wouldn’t say that it’s a possibility,” stressing that in the next Congress, Democrats and Republicans will be cooperating with their respective members. Incoming Democratic leader instead emphasized, “Democrats are planning to make ourselves ready as we transition,” stressing that members still expect to engage more so with the Biden administration and Senate Democrats when it comes to getting their agenda across. Jeffries was similarly optimistic that the Democrats’ minority status would be short-lived.
Democratic leaders for the 118th Congress have made it clear that they aren’t interested in doing anything but pushing their agenda.
Rep. Salazar was just as emphatic as Jeffries that there was no need to engage with the Democrats when discussing how Jeffries made such statements downplaying even the prospect of such a concept of working with Republicans. The representative emphasized that this time it is the Republicans who hold the majority.
McCarthy convened a meeting on Wednesday to talk about giving HFC members some of the things they want. An important goal is to reinstate the motion to vacate, which members of the HFC used to resign from the HFC and then-House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in 2015. In that day’s newsletter, Punchbowl announced the following information about the upcoming meeting:
Conservatives are pressuring McCarthy to agree to post bills online 72 hours before the House considers them. McCarthy has told us he agrees with this position.
Specifically, these purists want the motion to vacate amended so that any lawmaker can call for a vote to remove the Speaker. (Conservatives say Jefferson was the one who came up with the idea of vacating office. No, he didn’t.
McCarthy has stated that the purpose of today’s meeting is to start a dialogue on the future of the conference’s rules package for the upcoming year.
McCarthy asserted, “Whatever we’re going to do in the next Congress – we’ve got a five-seat majority.” There must be a way for us to work together.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) backs an omnibus funding deal, but Minority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) opposes it. At least on one point, McCarthy and the HFC appear to be in accord. Given that the House Republicans will be in the majority during the lame-duck session, much attention has been paid to their desire for more power.
According to Maggie Haberman of The New York Times, former and likely future President Donald Trump has gotten engaged in the Speaker’s campaign by calling members of Congress and pushing them to endorse McCarthy.
The term “Speaker of the House” has been a hot topic on Twitter all day Wednesday about McCarthy’s bid to fill the office, partly because of Trump’s participation.