The Speakership Stalemate Continues

Kevin McCarthy’s team made concessions to their Republican opponents Wednesday night, but will it be enough to earn him the speaker’s gavel?

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House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy talks to Reps. Chip Roy and Jim Jordan Wednesday. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The nominating speeches sounded different, but the facts on Wednesday remained the same as on Tuesday: After three failed votes, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy made no apparent progress toward garnering the 218 votes he needs to become speaker of the House.

With no endgame in sight and the protracted stalemate wearing on House Republicans’ nerves, some McCarthy allies began to signal Wednesday that a deal has to come soon or McCarthy may have to step aside.

“At some point this needs to break loose,” Rep. Ken Buck said on CNN. “He either needs to make a deal to bring the 19 or 20 over, or he needs to step aside to give somebody the chance to do that.”

The pressure led McCarthy to make at least one major concession to his critics Wednesday night: The Congressional Leadership Fund, a McCarthy-aligned super PAC, agreed not to boost candidates in open primaries in safe Republican districts. The move could prove a major boon to hardline conservatives who want GOP leaders to take a hands-off approach in Republican primaries. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    Now you’re telling me we could have had Justin Amash as speaker?

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  2. Avatar photo
    Blash04

    "After three failed votes, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy made no apparent progress toward garnering the 218 votes he needs to become speaker of the House."

    Quick question:
    Because there's one member consistently voting present, as it stands doesn't McCarthy only need 217 to win?"

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  3. Avatar photo
    DougAz

    The Never Lenins, err umm Never Kevins, are actually the largest elected 3rd Party in America history. Well last 180 years perhaps.

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    Boomer Bob

    Would Democratic leadership prefer McCarthy, or one of the other Republicans getting votes?

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    1. Avatar photo
      DougAz

      I proposed a Dan Crenshaw - Haakem Jeffries Speakership power sharing.

      Win win for America.

      Jeffries would go for it. But 150 Republicans would hate him.

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    2. Bgoodell22

      Depends on what he'll offer them. The real question is whether Democrats can put someone up who will pick off a few Republicans

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  5. DTruitt

    I don't know of course how this will end up, but if I was one of the 200 Republicans who support McCarthy, I'd be pretty pissed off at the 20, and would do my damndest to eff them up every chance I had thereafter. And certainly do NOT reward their bad behavior with committee chairmanships.

    At some point the Democrats are also going to get tired of this, and may have just enough of their members not vote or vote present to let McCarthy get by. It is certainly not in the interests of the House and of the People to let 20 ornery obstructionists seize control of our government. That certainly won't help the Dems. Yet they want to milk this for as much mileage as they can.

    The obstructionists cannot be allowed to win. Otherwise, that will set the precedent forever more that a small cabal of obstructionists control our government. That would be like following Israel's model of dysfunctional government.

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    1. CB76

      "The obstructionists cannot be allowed to win."

      Too late. They own your party. They are your party.

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  6. Manojcj

    Has someone already explained why they are voting over and over? One would think that something has changed, some new concession, new name for speaker, each time when they do votes.
    This is the 9th time now!

    What are they hoping to see when nothing has changed?

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    1. Avatar photo
      LBernard

      McCarthy is hoping that the Democrats will get sick of this and leave, which would give him the win.

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  7. CB76

    HAHAHA!

    Losers.

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    Dexember

    McCarthy is telling reporters that he's going to negotiate with the holdouts and win, as of the 8th round. This is not happening, because they are demanding gavels that the moderates are going to lose. The moderates have said its a hard no to any chairmanships being given to the holdouts.

    McCarthy is never going to step aside willingly. No one grovels that hard, moves into the speakership's office, and lies that much to only turn back now. Others will have to move around him.

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  9. Jim S

    The person most responsible for this ongoing clown show is Kevin McCarthy. If he does not win on the next ballot he should step aside.

    And what *IS* up with him moving into the Speakers office? That kind of presumption would make me want to vote against him on it’s own.

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    1. CB76

      Step aside in favor of whom? There is literally nobody that wants the job and can get the votes. Because Republicans are arsonists, and not at all serious about governing.

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    Pat Riot

    Okay, after making concessions that were over-the-top ridiculous, McCarthy managed to get... zero more votes in the 7th round of voting.

    Trump got one though.

    He's done.

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