Five Republicans Banding Together To Stop McCarthy For House Speaker

It looks like Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the full support of the republican party.

Though everyone expects that McCarthy will become House Speaker, at least five republicans are openly opposing his bid for the job.

GOP representatives Matt Gaetz, Ralph Norman, and Andy Biggs have all openly given a hard pass to McCarthy’s bid.

Meanwhile, representatives Bob Good and Matt Rosendale have also expressed their public opposition to McCarthy.

Gaetz has been the most vocal of the five:

“House Republicans need a leader with credibility across every spectrum of the GOP conference in order to be a capable fighting force for the American people,” said Gaetz.

Gaetz continued, “That person is not Kevin McCarthy.”

5 Republicans publicly oppose McCarthy's speakership bid, putting ascension to leadership role in jeopardy https://t.co/ycHO7ulKY4

— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 28, 2022

Fox News reports on the five republicans opposing McCarthy’s bid as Speaker:

At the moment, there are at least five House Republicans who oppose McCarthy while several others are seen as on the fence.

“House Republicans need a leader with credibility across every spectrum of the GOP conference in order to be a capable fighting force for the American people,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. “That person is not Kevin McCarthy.”

Gaetz, along with GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, is seen as a “hard no” on McCarthy. Regardless of the concessions offered, the three are unlikely to vote for the Californian’s ascension to speaker.

The other two Republicans, Bob Good of Virginia and Matt Rosendale of Montana, have also voiced their opposition publicly. Both lawmakers, however, have not explicitly ruled out voting for McCarthy in exchange for concessions on House rules.

At least 5 GOP House reps. opposing Minority Leader as speaker which would make all the difference with only slim Republican majority. https://t.co/xvAJAPuC2V

— Israel National News – Arutz Sheva (@ArutzSheva_En) November 28, 2022

5 House Republicans Oppose Kevin McCarthy As Speaker, Leadership In Jeopardyhttps://t.co/tBvQ1OJICQ pic.twitter.com/bNFhq5LQ6y

— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) November 28, 2022

Kevin McCarthy reportedly doesn’t have the votes for House Speaker.

McCarthy needs to step aside and support a Republican leader who puts America First.

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) November 26, 2022

Rep. Matt Gaetz has been extremely vocal about his opposition to McCarthy as House leader:

House Republicans need a leader with credibility across every spectrum of the GOP conference in order to be a capable fighting force for the American people.

That person is not Kevin McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/6Uw4wlJhdy

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) November 22, 2022

Republicans can do better than Kevin McCarthy.

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) November 22, 2022

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy is in the fight of his political life as he seeks enough backing to become the next House speaker. He’s grinding through promises and proposals, cajoling and deal-making necessary to win over reluctant colleagues. https://t.co/ww1zJ0Hej9

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 28, 2022

It’s going to be an uphill battle for McCarthy to garner enough support.

The Associated Press reports on that battle:

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“McCarthy’s problem is, he can’t get to 218 without Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar and Matt Gaetz,” Schiff said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” referring to the House GOP’s most outspoken far-right members. “And so he will do whatever they ask.”

The challenge ahead for McCarthy is not unique, as he races to shore up support before the new Congress convenes in January. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., faced detractors during her own pursuit of the gavel, forced to skillfully pick off the naysayers one by one until she had secured backing.

But the problem McCarthy faces is distinctly Republican, one that almost doomed his most recent predecessors. Paul Ryan and John Boehner both suffered politically as they were pushed and prodded by the GOP’s increasingly far-right flank to make concessions for their support. Eventually both men won the speaker’s gavel, but ultimately retired early.

After pushing his party to victory in the midterm elections, McCarthy won the nod from a majority of his colleagues nominating him to run for speaker. But the 188-31 vote among Republicans showed the shortfall he must overcome. When the new Congress convenes in January, the whole House, Republicans and Democrats, will vote on speaker and McCarthy’s party will need to stick together with their slim majority for him to prevail. Otherwise, a different Republican could emerge as a compromise candidate.

“It’s a tall order,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a past chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who waged a long-shot challenge to McCarthy for the nomination.