House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is facing a critical moment on Tuesday, as he seeks to secure the votes necessary to become the next speaker of the House. The 118th Congress is set to convene to elect a new speaker, but McCarthy does not yet have the votes to secure the gavel. This is a major problem for the California Republican, as the GOP’s new 222-212 majority is so thin that as few as five GOP lawmakers are able to block him from winning the 218-vote majority to win on the first round.
If McCarthy fails to secure the support he needs to win in the initial round of voting, the race for speaker could go to multiple ballots – something that hasn’t happened since 1923. A small band of far-right members close to former President Donald Trump had been vowing to stick together to deny McCarthy, of California, the speaker’s gavel.
The vote for speaker is expected to be close, as McCarthy is facing opposition from a small but determined contingent of hardline Republicans. If McCarthy fails to secure the 218 votes necessary to win the speaker’s gavel on the first ballot, the process could go to multiple ballots, which could lead to a chaotic and contentious floor fight.
The outcome of the speaker’s vote will be a major factor in the future of the House GOP majority. If McCarthy is able to secure the 218 votes necessary to win the speaker’s gavel on the first ballot, he will become the leader of the House GOP majority. If he fails to do so, the House could be thrown into chaos as the process goes to multiple ballots.
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