McCarthy Still Faces Fierce Opposition as House Speaker Vote Approaches, LIVE Coverage

While Republicans now have the House majority, current House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is struggling to find enough votes to become House Speaker.

The GOP holds 222 House seats and 218 is needed to win House speakership.

However, at least five House Republicans remain firm in their stance against McCarthy’s leadership.

Those five individuals include:

• Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL)
• Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ)
• Rep. Bob Good (VA)
• Rep. Ralph Norman (SC)
• Rep. Matt Rosendale (MT)

Although that only leaves McCarthy one vote shy of reaching 218, there are additional House Republicans who oppose his leadership.

Just the News reported:

The support of other Republicans, however, is far from a given as a group of nine other House Republicans on Sunday night sent a letter to the California Republican announcing their intent to oppose his leadership as well.

Reps. Scott Perry, Penn.; Paul Gosar, Ariz.; Chip Roy, Texas; Dan Bishop, N.C.; Andy Harris, Md.; and Andrew Clyde, Ga.; as well as Rep.-elects Andy Nogales, Tenn.; Anna Paulina Luna, Fla; and Eli Crane, Ariz.; have contended that a McCarthy speakership would not result in meaningful change in the House.

“For someone with a 14-year presence in senior House Republican leadership, Mr. McCarthy bears squarely the burden to correct the dysfunction he now explicitly admits across that long tenure,” the lawmakers wrote in apparent response to McCarthy’s New Year’s Eve letter maligning the dysfunction in the lower chamber.

The House Speaker vote is scheduled for Tuesday.

As expected, it appears the first day of the 118th Congress will be chaotic.

From Fox News:

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., muttered “this is bulls—” under her breath during a House GOP Conference meeting Tuesday regarding House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speakership.

The comment, which a Boebert spokesperson told Fox News Digital was not yelled or said into a microphone, came Tuesday morning as McCarthy, R-Calif., delivered a speech aimed to unite his party ahead of the leadership vote. McCarthy faces opposition for speaker from Boebert, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and members of the House Freedom Caucus, who claim he has not proven to be worthy to be speaker of the new Republican majority.

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Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said the House Republican meeting was “hostile,” and that McCarthy’s attempt to persuade hard-line Republicans to vote for him fell flat.

“The meeting was very hostile and I don’t think it did anything to persuade those who are inclined to vote against Kevin McCarthy,” Good told Fox News. Good is one of five Republicans who have said they cannot vote for McCarthy.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, one of the nine Republicans who sent the Sunday night letter to McCarthy, issued another statement Tuesday morning opposing the California Republican’s leadership.

“In his 14 years in Republican Leadership, McCarthy has repeatedly failed to demonstrate any desire to meaningfully change the status quo in Washington,” Perry said.

“Despite our deep reservations we have continued to work in earnest to find a path forward with McCarthy, knowing that this crucial moment would come.”

Watch the House Speaker vote unfold live: