Kevin McCarthy camp targets Reps. Matt Rosendale and Eli Crane as GOP House leader loses 13th vote

The Republican Party’s House leader Kevin McCarthy is still trying to become the Speaker despite losing the 13th vote in the process. Although he has managed to gain a few votes after rounds of intense negotiations, McCarthy is still falling short of the 218 magic number.

The Republicans are currently trying to overturn the votes of Representatives Matt Rosendale and Eli Crane, according to a report published in CNN.

Crane is worried that supporting McCarthy will not be accepted by the far-right district he represents. Rosendale, on the other hand, is readying himself to run for the Montana Senate in 2024. He is currently positioning himself to the political right of anyone who emerges as his opponent in the primaries, and thus is not willing to support McCarthy, who is not in the good books of hardliners.

The final tally after the 13th vote was 214 for McCarthy and 212 for the Democrats’ candidate, Hakeem Jeffries. In the 13th round, it was GOP Rep. Andy Harris who flipped his vote towards McCarthy.