Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Monday appeared to take a more aggressive approach to becoming the House speaker by wrapping up support among potential incoming House Republican committee chairs and 54 “Only Kevin” votes.
On January 3, McCarthy will need at least 218 votes from House members to win the gavel. There are currently five Republican members who oppose McCarthy’s speakership.
Fourteen potential incoming House Republican committee chairs issued a letter in support of McCarthy. The letter is significant because the signatories include some of the most notable members of the GOP House conference including some high-profile conservatives.
Signatories of the letter included 14 potential committee chairs, including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), James Comer (R-KY), Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Patrick McHenry (R-NC):
New – Incoming House Republican Committee Chairs are urging their conference – in a new letter – to vote for @GOPLeader McCarthy to be Speaker on January 3. “Let us not squander the majority before we even take back the gavels,” the letter states. pic.twitter.com/IYvzi5lGdL
— Lauren Peller (@lauren_peller) December 19, 2022
“We wholeheartedly endorse Kevin McCarthy for Speaker,” the incoming committee chairs wrote. “He has the leadership skills, the vision, the determination to take our conference where we need to go starting on day one.”
“In fifteen days, we will be sworn into the 118th Congress as the majority party in the House, and upholding this responsibility demands we get right to work,” the letter added.
“We urge our colleagues – let us not squander this majority before we even take back the gavels. Time is of the essence, and the American people want us to get to work now,” the letter concluded.
The letter comes on the same day that McCarthy released names of 54 “Only Kevin” GOP House members who will not vote for anyone else other than McCarthy. The group of “Only Kevin” voters have reportedly donned pins with the “Only Kevin” abbreviation “O.K.”:
Moderate GOP Rep. John Katko shows off his “Only Kevin” button: pic.twitter.com/0HsvybwQIo
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) December 15, 2022
Some notable members of the “Only Kevin” voters include Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep-elect Max Miller (R-OH), Rep-elect Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) told Axios he is supporting McCarthy because McCarthy has made concessions to conservatives. “McCarthy has given conservatives a seat at the table, which is why I’m supporting him for Speaker,” he said.
McCarthy is currently opposed by five GOP House members: Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), and Bob Good (R-VA).
If the McCarthy opposition sticks together, they could derail McCarthy’s hopes of the speakership. It is possible establishment Republicans could work with Democrats to elect a Republican not named McCarthy. The opposition appears to be struggling to find an alternative to McCarthy’s bid.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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