Kevin McCarthy wins Republican Party nomination for House Speaker

House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy has won the Republican Party nomination to become the House Speaker once the newly selected Representatives take office. According to CNN, McCarthy competed for the nomination against Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, whom he defeated by a margin of 188-31.

While Biggs’ chances of winning were slim, the 31 votes that he received show that a section of GOP members is not happy with their party’s top leaders. 

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Republican leaders are facing an intense backlash on Capitol Hill over their disappointing performance in the midterm elections, when McCarthy’s promises of a GOP sweep that would transform Washington collapsed. Instead, the House could have one of the slimmest majorities in 90 years, leaving McCarthy exposed to challengers. The fallout is spilling down-ballot in other Republican leadership races and in the Senate where Republican leader Mitch McConnell will face his own colleagues Wednesday.

After a meeting with GOP lawmakers on Monday, McCarthy said, “It’s going to be a tight majority so everyone is going to have to work together”.

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The 57-year-old further added, “We’ll be successful as a team and we’ll be defeated as an individual if we don’t all work together”.

When the House reconvenes in January 2023, McCarthy has to fetch 218 votes if he has to become the official successor to Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

The weeks ahead promise to be a grueling period of hardball negotiations with the Freedom Caucus and rank-and-file Republicans as McCarthy tries to appease their demands and rack up the support he will need in the new year.

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Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said regarding McCarthy, “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, the far-right Trump-ally from Georgia, has become a quiet ally of McCarthy, who has promised to reinstate her on choice committees, working behind the scenes to ensure the leadership elections move forward.