Kevin McCarthy’s effort’s to deal with the Republicans in the US House….
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) warned that Democrats could “end up picking” the next House speaker if his GOP colleagues fail to coalesce around him.
Why it matters: Time is ticking before the Jan. 3 House speaker vote — and McCarthy is at risk of falling short of the 218 votes necessary to secure the post amid a far-right revolt.
Between the lines: House Republicans won a narrow majority in the midterm elections, so a small number of members could prevent McCarthy’s bid.
- With a majority of likely only five or six seats, any GOP speaker candidate can only afford to lose a handful of votes if they’re banking on support from their party alone.
What he’s saying: “We have to speak as one voice. We will only be successful if we work together, or we’ll lose individually,” McCarthy said during a Monday interview on conservative outlet NewsMax.
- “This is very fragile, that we’re the only stopgap for this Biden administration, and if we don’t do this right, the Democrats can take the majority. If we play games on the floor, the Democrats can end up picking who the speaker is.”
- “I think at the end of the day, calmer heads will prevail,” McCarthy said. “We’ll work together to find the best path forward.”…