Kevin McCarthy still thinks he can be the next Speaker of the House after making major concessions to his opponents. McCarthy refused to drop out.
CBS News’ Robert Costa tweeted:
Part of the reason House GOP leadership wanted to adjourn tonight was that they felt they were making progress with some HFC members on a possible set of parameters for some critics to vote yes or at least be present. Hope to give HFC members time to reflect on tonight’s talks.
— Robert Costa (@costareports) January 5, 2023
The House will adjourn until noon ET Thursday, meaning there is no chance of a new Congress being sworn in for a third day.
Rep. McCarthy made a major concession to those who voted against him, pledging not to run in the Republican primary for open seats in safe Republican districts:
major developments, each @MariannaReports: pic.twitter.com/HE2ItoMzzl
— Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) January 5, 2023
McCarthy is the largest elected fundraiser for House Republicans. What he promises to do will win more MAGA extremists seats in the House. McCarthy agreed not to fund moderate or establishment candidates who could defeat extremists in so-called safe Republican districts.
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The McCarthy deal looks downright silly, as if the MAGA candidate is extreme enough that it could open the door for Democrats to flip safe Republican constituencies.
The concession was not enough to get Kevin McCarthy elected speaker. The biggest request Never Kevins wanted was for a member to be able to call for a vote to fire a speaker at any time.
Kevin McCarthy is giving up all his power in exchange for the chance to become the weakest Speaker of the House in modern American political history.
McCarthy still looks unlikely to cobble together enough votes without putting himself on the chopping block.
Kevin McCarthy has paralyzed the House by refusing to step aside, and there are rumors that if a resolution is not reached soon, the disaster could drag on until next week.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a congressional correspondent for the White House Press Fellowship and PoliticusUSA. Jason has a BA in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, specializing in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Association of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
