DLNews Politics:

With Republican nominee for speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s campaign in California taking center stage, voters are curious who this candidate is and how he’s faring in the race. The nominee’s candidacy also exposes bitter divisions within the GOP and the fact that new Republicans are vying for the top spot.

Rep. Chip Roy nominated McCarthy.

A little over a week after the election, there is still plenty of turmoil brewing in the House. One of the most contentious races of the night is the speaker of the House contest. The winner would serve as the second in line for the Presidency.

McCarthy is running for his fourth term as speaker, but he isn’t the only one hoping to get the job. Republicans have a slim majority in the House, and conservative hardliners are eager to push it to its limits. In addition, there are several stalemates in the race for the chamber.

Four GOP members — Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, Matt Gaetz of Florida, and Ralph Norman of South Carolina — have already signaled they are hard nos on McCarthy. Meanwhile, Rep. Matthew Rosendale of Montana also appears to have dug in on opposing McCarthy. The No. 2 Republican in the House, Scalise, R-La., is currently the minority whip and has been elected majority leader in the next Congress. Scalise has said he supports McCarthy’s bid for speaker but has refused to say whether he might run if McCarthy cannot secure the needed votes.

However, McCarthy is a favorite to win this race. Several congressional members have endorsed him. He is the most popular choice of GOP members, and he has many supporters behind him. On Tuesday, five Republican lawmakers from Texas released statements pledging their support for McCarthy. But none of them are sure how they will vote in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative House members, is adamantly opposed to McCarthy. It hasn’t made any concrete commitments, but it is a powerful force in House operations. It’s the governing wing of the old tea party.

The fight for the next House speaker is heating up. Five Republicans have publicly stated they will not support a candidate for speaker. Two of those are the House Freedom Caucus members, a right-wing group hostile to establishment candidates. They have also used procedures to force Speaker John Boehner out of office.

While there have been discussions between different caucuses and ideological groups, no consensus has emerged regarding who should take the seat. McCarthy is facing a stiff challenge from a group of conservatives unwilling to compromise.

Despite his support from the majority of House Republicans, McCarthy faces the difficult task of winning a majority of votes. Several holdouts have vowed to vote against him in January. This means he must win a Speakership election without missing any votes. With Republicans having 222 seats, he likely cannot afford more than four defections from his own party. McCarthy has been working to win over holdouts. He held a conference call on Friday. However, his spokesman has not commented on how he secured support from his fellow Republicans.

A “never Kevin” movement has threatened to deny McCarthy 218 votes. Some members have publicly backed other Republicans who could run if McCarthy fails to make it through a floor vote.

 

Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican, has served as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. is expected to become the next speaker of the House. But the campaign could be tainted by divisions within his own party. A new group of conservatives has challenged him. The House Freedom Caucus wants to make it easier for a single lawmaker to call a vote to remove the speaker. That’s a move that would leave all of Congress hostage to the far right.

One of the key players in this fight is former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Meadows has a complicated relationship with President Trump. He is less than friendly with McCarthy.

It is also possible that McCarthy can lose the speakership on the first ballot. If that happens, all the GOP leadership positions in Congress will be in flux.

McCarthy needs support from the majority of the conference to win the speakership. But, then, he would have to win votes from a fractious Republican caucus and wrangle a fractured party. This isn’t going to be an easy job.

McCarthy’s supporters say he has the potential to help California’s fortunes. However, there are other potential candidates that could emerge.

One option for the California GOP is to cut a deal with the Democrats. However, it would require a moderate candidate backed by many Democrats.