January 3, 2023, 10:58 PM
January 3, 2023, 10:58 PM
Republican Kevin McCarthy reaped a historic defeat on Tuesday in the US Congress by losing three rounds of voting to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives.
This It’s the first time in a century that a candidate is defeated, and in this case it was because the radical wing of the Republican Party refused to give him the nod.
The House decided around 5:30 p.m. Washington time (22:30 GMT) to adjourn and vote again on Wednesday starting at noon.
Despite the defeats on Tuesday, McCarthy’s candidacy -which represents California- is still standing, although it is not clear how he will convince to the 20 republican rebels to support it.
This year, as a new legislature begins with the composition defined in the midterm elections held in November, there are only 222 Republicans in the House, so McCarthy could only afford to lose four votes from his party because he needs at least 218 supports to be the head of that parliamentary field (unless there are congressmen who abstain from voting).
In each of the first two rounds he got 203 votes, and in the third round an additional Republican turned against him.
The 212 Democrats voted for who will be the leader of their party in the House, the representative Hakeem Jeffries from New York.
What comes next?
The Chamber will continue to vote for its new president until a candidate is elected by majority.
The legislative body cannot proceed with any other business until there is an elected incumbent. That includes the swearing in of new members of Congress and the adoption of new rules and legislation.
It’s not yet clear how many rounds of voting members will need to decide on the name, but the process could continue for days if no consensus is reached.
The last time a candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives failed to get the necessary votes in the first round of voting was in 1923; it took nine votes and several days to reach an agreement.
The record was set in 1855, when the lower house had to carry out 133 votes and, after two months of paralysis, managed to reach a consensus with a candidate who at that time was neither a Democrat nor a Republican.
Why is McCarthy facing opposition?
Previous speakers of the US House of Representatives have faced obstacles entering a new Congress, but managed to rally their own when the official vote came.
McCarthy, by contrast, has faced opposition from far-right members of his own party since Republicans secured control of the House in last November’s midterm elections.
The holdouts oppose his presidency for ideological and personal reasons, and have spent weeks negotiating with McCarthy for concessions, such as changes to a procedure to remove a sitting House speaker.
This group is led by Republican Andy Biggs (Arizona), who has presented himself as an alternative albeit a long-shot candidate, and Matt Gaetz (Florida), who spent much of the last Congress under the specter of a federal investigation. Biggs received 10 votes in the first round, while nine Republicans endorsed other candidates.
In the second round, all 19 rogue Republicans endorsed Jim Jordan (Ohio) and in the third round, support for Jordan rose to 20.
Republican Rep. Bob Good said Republican members who opposed McCarthy will never back down, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS, adding that they want a “reluctant warrior” to be House speaker.
“The sooner McCarthy retires, the better it will be for the country,” he added.
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