Why Can't the House of Representatives Elect a Speaker?
AllSides Summary
Update 1/5/22 5:00 P.M. EST: The House of Representatives finished its ninth vote without a candidate gaining a majority. A tenth vote is underway. According to the New York Times (Lean Left Bias), this is the most protracted speaker election since 1859.
Since the new Congress convened Tuesday morning, representatives have been deadlocked in attempts to elect the Speaker of the House. The Republican Party, which gained a slim majority in Congress in the 2022 midterm elections, is unable to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) into the speaker position due to 20 Republican representatives not voting for him.
Why Do They Keep Voting? If no candidate acquires 218 votes, the roll call is repeated and representatives vote again. As of Thursday afternoon, the representatives voted nine times, with no candidate securing the needed 218 votes.
Why Isn’t Jeffries Winning? Despite Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) receiving the most votes, the winner must acquire 218 votes, assuming all representatives cast a vote for a candidate.
What Do The GOP Dissenters Want? The faction of Republican lawmakers not voting for McCarthy made their objections known weeks ago. Despite weeks of negotiations, the faction now appears adamantly opposed to McCarthy. Before the sixth vote, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) called on McCarthy to withdraw from contention.
How The Media Is Covering It: Left- and center-rated sources are highlighting public infighting among Republicans, contrasting it with Democrats' united vote for Jeffries. One CNN Opinion writer said McCarthy is “meeting his monster,” stating that the faction’s dissent is an “all-too-predictable outcome of handing power to the unhinged.” A Fox News Opinion writer sympathized with the GOP dissenters, calling the gridlock a “necessary first step” in a much-needed Republican Party “reboot.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
McCarthy opponents cause House chaos but raise valuable objections – Republican Party needs a reboot
California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy has so far failed in his quest to be elected Speaker of the House. He lost on the first vote, taken soon after the House convened for the new GOP-led session; that was the first time the majority party failed to quickly elect its leader in 100 years. He also lost on the second vote and the third and fourth.
This is being portrayed by the liberal media as a catastrophe for the Republican Party; even former Speaker Newt Gingrich says the GOP "is in...
From the Center
What Happens if There's No House Speaker?
The U.S. House of Representatives has no speaker following the failure of any candidate to win a majority of votes on the first day of the new Congress on Tuesday.
Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy couldn't secure a majority in three ballots as a minority within his own party opposed his election and the House agreed to adjourn for the day following the third round of voting.
The House will meet again at noon on Wednesday but it's not clear if McCarthy will be able to sway enough of his detractors....
From the Left
Why Kevin McCarthy’s dream is in big trouble
Tuesday should have been a joyous day for Republicans in Congress, as they kicked off two years as the majority party in the House of Representatives by swearing in new members and electing one of their own as speaker of the House. Instead, Tuesday’s vote for speaker showed just how dysfunctional the GOP has become and what a precarious position the party has put itself in.
Despite finding themselves in the minority, it was Democrats who were jubilant on Tuesday, voting unanimously for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the...
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