Right now?
Things do NOT look good for the California House Republican….
His efforts are being whipsawed by the coming Republican House internal politics…..
Why it matters: McCarthy is at risk of a humiliating and potentially career-ending defeat with just five weeks until the Jan. 3 speaker election, as several members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus are still publicly vowing to deny him crucial votes.
Driving the news: Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) told Axios on Tuesday he’s a firm “no” on McCarthy after previously leaving wiggle room: “I will be voting for an alternative candidate. I will not be voting for Kevin McCarthy.”
- Good said in a follow-up interview he will vote for Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz), who told Politico he is voting for himself.
State of play: McCarthy will need a majority of voting members to elect him speaker. With a House Republican majority of just five or six seats, he will only be able to afford a handful of defections.
- In addition to Good, Biggs and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Ralph Norman (R-N.C.) have said they are hard “no’s”. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mt.) has also voiced firm opposition.
- That may not be the extent of McCarthy’s troubles: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of his key allies in the Freedom Caucus, estimated that privately there “could be as many as 10” no votes. Good said 20 is “in the ballpark.”
- “My hope is that those members will begin to increasingly come out publicly to build that momentum,” Good added.
The other side: McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday he won’t drop out if he fails on the first vote, promising a floor fight even if the process goes into multiple ballots: “At the end of the day, we’ll get there.”…
image…TIME