GOP Faction Threatens to Withhold Support for McCarthy’s Speaker Bid
AllSides Summary
After an underwhelming midterm election for the Republican Party, a faction of the party's Freedom Caucus is threatening to withhold support for Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) bid for the house speaker position.
Key Quotes: Fox News reports that some Freedom Caucus members are seeking an added provision that would allow any party member to file a motion for the speaker to vacate the position. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) said that "members must be able to hold their own leadership accountable." Others in the party remain hopeful McCarthy will secure the necessary votes; The Hill quoted Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), who said that “If it weren’t for Kevin’s efforts, we wouldn’t be back in the majority. So I just feel like he’s going to get the gavel.”
For Context: While the largest discussions are focused on an intensifying feud between former president Donald Trump and 2024 hopeful Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a similar debate is waging in the halls of congress, where Republicans are still expected to gain a slim majority after all the votes are counted. The Freedom Caucus is made up of majority pro-Trump representatives. Trump endorsed McCarthy’s bid for house speaker on Nov. 8.
How the Media Covered it: The feud was covered across the spectrum and widely framed as empty "saber-rattling" from the Freedom Caucus.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Freedom Caucus Rep. Andy Biggs says 'not so fast' to McCarthy speakership after disappointing election results
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., on Wednesday signaled that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy may hit a few speed bumps on his quest to become the next House speaker, arguing the Republican conference needs to have "a serious discussion" about leadership after Tuesday's disappointing election results.
Republicans underperformed expectations in the midterm elections, and if they take a majority after all the votes are counted, it will be a slim one. Biggs, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, told conservative streaming program "The Absolute Truth with Emerald Robinson" that...
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House conservatives withhold support for McCarthy, press for delay to election
Conservative House Republicans are pushing for GOP leadership elections to be delayed ahead of closed-door votes next week on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) Speakership bid and other offices.
It’s still not clear which party will control the House, with nearly three-dozen races without a winner. While the GOP is still favored to win the majority, it is expected to be much smaller than once thought, which has given critics of McCarthy an argument to make against him.
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House Freedom Caucus ties itself in knots over challenging McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy’s fractious crew of pro-Trump conservatives is openly debating whether to back his speakership dreams as it pushes for major House rules changes.
How real of a rebellion the Freedom Caucus can muster when it has no alternative candidate yet, however, is another question entirely.
As a number of still-uncalled midterm races leave the House majority unsettled if continuing to trend Republican, some lawmakers in the group are openly calling for a challenge to McCarthy. Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) said Thursday that the GOP leader “has not done anything...
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