![]() A Freedom Caucus member who challenged Stefanik from the right, Donalds didn’t go down quietly - colleagues reported a feisty candidate forum on Monday. Elise Stefanik, who currently holds the spot and was widely favored to prevail against Rep. The election for House GOP conference chair ended in victory, 144-74, for New York Rep. “If we don’t unify behind Kevin McCarthy, we’re opening up the door for the Democrats to be able to recruit some of our Republicans,” Greene said, adding that there was a “spirited discussion” with “some of my closest allies and I’ve been talking to them a lot.” Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) - a McCarthy headache in the past - whipped members to support the California Republican, arguing that dragged-out divisions could mean a Democratic candidate for speaker could pull an upset. And the Freedom Caucus has moved that center of gravity to the right,” Higgins said, criticizing past Speaker Paul Ryan for cutting bipartisan deals that were not “reflective of the deepest core principles of the American people.” “The Speaker of the House, whomever he or she is, will be required to recognize the center of gravity of the conference itself. Clay Higgins (R-La.), who is declining to say if he would back McCarthy, said the next GOP speaker will have to reflect a conference that has moved to the right. Yet there are already concerns among Republicans across the ideological spectrum that failing to rally around the right leaders will leave them further weakened against a stronger-than-expected House Democratic minority and a Democratic Senate. “But at the end of the day, Kevin McCarthy has the vast majority of members committed to him.” “We’re going to elect a Republican speaker, and if that’s tumultuous so be it,” said Rep. And while the nomination marked a success for the California Republican, his trouble is far from over as he courts the necessary votes before the start of the new Congress - with Freedom Caucus members still demanding concessions that would weaken his hold on the conference. The win, met with raucous applause according to five people in the room, came as hardliners sought to convey that their bloc of McCarthy skeptics is large enough to keep the GOP leader from the 218 votes he needs to become speaker come Jan. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), whose candidacy was pushed by the Donald Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus. His victory at the closed conference meeting followed a 188-31 vote by House Republicans to nominate GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker over challenger Rep. Emmer’s win also shatters a perceived conference curse: That NRCC chairs can’t move to higher roles in leadership, despite successful results at the ballot boxes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |