A number of the 20 populist conservative dissidents who have hung tough all week against Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s campaign to be elected Speaker of the House of Representatives relented and voted for him on Jan. 6, but the California Republican still fell short, meaning the contest continues.
Members assembled at noon for the fourth day of speaking, debating, negotiating, and voting in the historic effort to name a successor to now-former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
When the 12th ballots were counted, McCarthy had 213 votes, besting for the first time Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) who has received all 212 Democratic votes on every ballot. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who voted for McCarthy, received four, while Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), who also voted for McCarthy got three votes.
McCarthy has won 200-203 votes on all of the previous ballots taken thus far. By converting 14 of the 20 to his side, McCarthy is tantalizingly close to becoming Speaker.
All of the converts were significant, but especially so on Jan. 6 were House Freedom Caucus (HFC) Chairman Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the three key leaders of the dissident group.
Other dissidents coming over to McCarthy were Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas, Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, and Rep. Keith Self of Texas.
Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted for McCarthy after voting Present in six previous ballots.
The great obstacle to resolving the contest has been the 20 dissidents demanding multiple reforms in House procedures to empower rank-and-file Members and decrease the power of the Speaker.
Shortly after the 12th balloting, Perry, whose HFC has been the heart of the dissident movement since last summer, told reporters outside the House chamber that he’s enthusiastic about the concessions from McCarthy and the resulting changes that will follow in how the House conducts its business.
“I trust the framework of the agreement that we have. Quite honestly, the biggest win is the overall framework of it, there’s not one singular thing, you have accountability for the most powerful person in the building. You have changes in how we’re going to spend and allocate money or here that are going to be historic, we’re going to be able to finally stop the Senate from rolling us,” Perry said.
“We’re going to see more conservative representation on important committees ... we’re going to deal with earmarks differently. All those things about the motion to vacate, the motion to vacate is accountability. One person should be able to make the motion, one person, but the whole body has to vote on it,” Perry continued.
“But it needs to be what Thomas Jefferson envisioned it to be because the most powerful person must be held accountable, not only to the American people, but to the purse, the members of this of this body,” he said.
Perry also insisted that the dissidents were not seeking concessions to benefit themselves personally, but rather to change the way the House works.
“We’re asking for things to change how this institution works, because it doesn’t work for the American people. And we just stood firm, demanded it. Now it makes it difficult for sure. Because this place is operates on the status quo, the status quo serves this town, we are sick and tired of it,” he explained.
Before today, the dissidents have cast votes for a string of candidates, including Donalds, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Rep. Ken Hern (R-Okla.), and Jordan.
And, while the Members voted, McCarthy and his team, including incoming House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), engaged in intensive negotiations with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Biggs and Donalds, among the dissident group.
McCarthy has made multiple concessions to the dissidents and a draft written agreement was circulated late on Jan. 5. McCarthy expressed confidence before Jan. 6’s session convened that “good progress” was being made.
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