McCarthy still fails to win a majority in the House

First modification: 06/01/2023 – 23:39

He managed to scratch one more support in the thirteenth ballot for the presidency of the House of Representatives, but it was not enough. This Friday, in the fourth consecutive day of the legislative suffrages, Kevin McCarthy again fell short in the votes to preside over the House. Although this time he has been on the brink of victory, just two votes away, and with the hope of finally winning tonight in the postponed vote at 10 pm this Friday, Washington time.

Thirteen times hasn’t been enough to get Republicans to agree, but it looks like this ballot rush is nearing its end. In ballots number 12 and 13, McCarthy got two new endorsements and is reaching agreements with far-rightists to end the blockade.

“I bet on Kevin. I told him, ‘Kevin, don’t let us down,'” said Ralph Norman, a representative from South Carolina, as he shifted his vote to McCarthy.

A movement that has shown the reluctant that it still has enough strength and legitimacy to continue applying for the position. McCarthy achieved a total of 214 votes after changing the vote of 15 congressmen, compared to the 218 he needs to preside over the body. He would need to convince only two more representatives, because he already has the support of two others who were absent today and did not vote.

While in the previous votes, the maximum number of votes that McCarthy had obtained was 203, during the first two votes held last Tuesday.

“I think that tonight I will get the votes to end this once and for all. Since we took so long with this, now we have learned to govern,” said the Republican at the end of the thirteenth ballot. to the newspaper ‘The New York Times’.

There remain some representatives who assure that they are not going to get off the car, among them the one from Florida, Matt Gaetz; or Colorado’s Lauren Boebert, but McCarthy can afford to dispense with the support of up to four representatives from his party.

Concessions to the extreme right of the Republicans

The dispute for power in the Republican Party has been more than exposed with this round of failed voting. The main reason: the ultra-right’s declaration of war against McCarthy. Among his arguments, more than a dozen representatives accused him of being “soft” and being too willing to dialogue with the Joe Biden government. Hence, 20 Republican representatives refused to endorse McCarthy during the previous three days of voting.

To build bridges, McCarthy called a conference call with the far-right rebels. He went with a proposal under his arm: decrease their power and give them more influence. Among the concessions, a single legislator will be able to force a snap vote to impeach the president, the far-right faction will have decision-making power over who sits on some key committees and will be able to open votes on reforms regarding public spending.

Another incentive: Of the 20 Republicans who have voted against it this week, 14 received contributions totaling $120,000 from the Majority Committee, a Republican fundraising group controlled by McCarthy.

Measures that place him in a situation of vulnerability and that also worry the most progressive wing of the Republicans, who fear that nominating little-known representatives will leave them as “incompetent.” But they were welcomed with open arms by the majority of dissidents.

“We are at a tipping point. I have negotiated in good faith, with one purpose: to return the Casa del Pueblo to its rightful owners. The framework for an agreement is in place, so in a good faith effort, I voted to restore the Casa of the People voting for McCarthy”, published Scott Perry, representative for Pennsylvania, in social networks.

In the midst of the discussion within the Republicans, the Democrats commemorated this Friday the second anniversary of the assault on the Capitol, on January 6, 2020. The majority of Republicans have not said anything about it and some Democrats see a clear relationship between what happened two years ago and what is happening these days.

“Two years ago, a violent mob – fueled by hate and a tyrannical president – stormed the Capitol and attacked our democracy. Tragically, the same extremist forces continue to dominate the House of Representatives. They cannot elect a leader because the room is kidnapped by deputies who sell misinformation and want to dismantle democracy.” said Katherine Clark, a Democratic representative of the House, in this regard.

And it is that the Democrats play a lot with McCarthy’s negotiations with the extreme right. As Speaker of the House, McCarthy would have the authority to block Biden’s legislative agenda, forcing votes in favor of Republican priorities on the economy, energy and migration.

Although for the moment, the priority for all representatives is the unlocking of the body. The same candidate for the presidency assured this Friday that, although he is “in a good position”, the vote could last until the weekend.

However, it is expected that tonight will be the final one. The key that ends the blockade in the House of Representatives.

With EFE, Reuters and local media