Rep. Kevin McCarthy was within two or three votes of winning the marathon race to become Speaker of the House when the Republican majority voted on Jan. 6 to adjourn until 10 pm.
The adjournment is meant to give McCarthy and his team time to find a way to switch enough of the last six holdouts in a group of 20 populist conservative Members who have opposed the California Republican from the outset of the Speaker contest since on Jan. 3.
When Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) switched his vote during the 13th roll call, it brought a huge cheer from the Republicans in the chamber because it put McCarthy one key vote closer to victory, with a total of 214.
If all 435 Members are present, 218 votes are required to win, but two representatives are not expected to be present in the evening, making it possible for McCarthy to win with 216 votes.
Two of the remaining dissidents are expected to be the focus of negotiations now, including Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona and Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana. Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Bob Good of Virginia are considered the least likely to switch their votes to McCarthy.
During a quick news conference with journalists outside the House Chamber, McCarthy expressed confidence in the outcome when the House reconvenes later in the evening saying, “This is the great part. Because it took this long, now we learned how to govern. So now we’ll be able to get the job done.”
McCarthy had succeeded in switching 13 of the 20 earlier in the day when the votes were counted for the 12th time. Members assembled at noon for the fourth day of speaking, debating, negotiating, and voting in the historic effort to name a successor to now-former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
When the 12th ballots were counted, McCarthy had 213 votes, besting for the first time Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) who has received all 212 Democratic votes on every ballot. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who voted for McCarthy, received four, while Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), who also voted for McCarthy, got three votes.
McCarthy has won 200-203 votes on all of the previous ballots taken thus far. By converting 13 of the 20 to his side, McCarthy moved tantalizingly closer to becoming Speaker.
All of the converts were significant, but especially so on Jan. 6 were House Freedom Caucus (HFC) Chairman Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the three key leaders of the dissident group.
Other dissidents coming over on the 12th vote to McCarthy were Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas, Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, and Rep. Keith Self of Texas.
Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted for McCarthy after voting Present in six previous ballots.
The great obstacle to resolving the contest has been the 20 dissidents demanding multiple reforms in House procedures to empower rank-and-file Members and decrease the power of the Speaker.
Shortly after the 12th balloting, Perry, whose HFC has been the heart of the dissident movement since last summer, told reporters outside the House chamber that he’s enthusiastic about the concessions from McCarthy and the resulting changes that will follow in how the House conducts its business.
“I trust the framework of the agreement that we have. Quite honestly, the biggest win is the overall framework of it, there’s not one singular thing, you have accountability for the most powerful person in the building.
“You have changes in how we’re going to spend and allocate money or here that are going to be historic, we’re going to be able to finally stop the Senate from rolling us,” Perry said.
“We’re going to see more conservative representation on important committees … we’re going to deal with earmarks differently. All those things about the motion to vacate, the motion to vacate is accountability. One person should be able to make the motion, one person, but the whole body has to vote on it,” Perry continued.
“But it needs to be what Thomas Jefferson envisioned it to be because the most powerful person must be held accountable, not only to the American people, but to the purse, the members of this of this body,” he said.
Perry also insisted that the dissidents were not seeking concessions to benefit themselves personally, but rather to change the way the House works.
“We’re asking for things to change how this institution works, because it doesn’t work for the American people. And we just stood firm, demanded it. Now it makes it difficult for sure. Because this place is operates on the status quo, the status quo serves this town, we are sick and tired of it,” he explained.
Before today, the dissidents have cast votes for a string of candidates, including Donalds, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Rep. Ken Hern (R-Okla.), and Jordan.
And, while the Members voted, McCarthy and his team, including incoming House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), engaged in intensive negotiations with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Biggs and Donalds, among the dissident group.
McCarthy has made multiple concessions to the dissidents and a draft written agreement was circulated late on Jan. 5. McCarthy expressed confidence before Jan. 6’s session convened that “good progress” was being made.
