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Mr. Johnson’s victory ended a three-week vacancy of the speakership, during which the House was unable to take up new legislation. Of course, it wouldn’t be a work day for the House GOP without some infighting. Rightwing congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has proposed ousting speaker Mike Johnson from office, citing, among other things, his support for Ukraine. The warning has lingered for more than a month and only one other Republican has signed on, but Greene continues to insist that Johnson’s “days as Speaker are numbered” – we’ll see if she makes any progress when she returns to Capitol Hill today. In his letter, Jeffries asks Johnson to allow a vote on the Bipartisan Countering Antisemitism Act, which would create a federal coordinator to fight anti-Jewish sentiment.
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Republicans opposed to Kevin McCarthy becoming speaker have nominated Rep.-elect Donalds to the position. Rep.-elect Cori Bush, D-Mo., claimed in a tweet on Wednesday that Rep.-elect Donalds is a "prop" who "supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy." The result means a ninth vote, and possibly others, will be needed before a speaker can be found.
Photos: Kevin McCarthy wins House speakership on 15th vote
He described himself during his first primary campaign as a "Trump-supporting, liberty-loving, pro-life, pro-Second Amendment Black man." He went on to defeat his GOP opponents by just over 770 votes. "That four threshold is very tough. It's a very tough thing, no matter who it is," Trump said, referring to the number of Republican defections a speaker candidate can afford to lose and still win on the floor with a GOP majority. "I said there's only one person that can do it all the way. You know who that is? Jesus Christ." It's unclear how much of an impact the former president's backing would have on the race for speaker — he endorsed Rep. Jim Jordan's bid last week, but after three failed attempts to win a majority on the floor, the Ohio congressman was forced to drop his bid Friday. Since then, nine Republicans have announced they're running, although Rep. Dan Meuser dropped out of the running on Monday night, leaving eight Republicans. According to the rules of the Republican conference, once candidates are nominated — in alphabetical order — if none of the candidates win a majority of votes, the candidate who receives the lowest number of votes will be dropped from the ballot for the next round.
Mike Johnson doesn't answer questions on ouster threats
But he defended the actions of congressional Republicans in objecting to Mr. Biden’s victory. In December 2020, Mr. Johnson collected signatures for a legal brief in support of a Texas lawsuit, rooted in baseless claims of widespread election irregularities, that tried to throw out the results in four battleground states won by Joseph R. Biden Jr. The election on Wednesday of Mr. Johnson, 51, to the post second in line to the presidency has focused new attention on his behind-the-scenes role in trying to overturn the election results on behalf of former President Donald J. Trump. Johnson says that he will bring to the floor “in just a little while” a resolution in support of Israel. “We’re going to show not only Israel but the entire world that the barbarism of Hamas" is "wretched and wrong,” he said. The podcasts, spanning 69 episodes, offer an extended window into Mr. Johnson's views and politics, as he co-hosts the program with his wife, a licensed pastoral counselor.
Kevin McCarthy did not secure the 218 votes needed in the first round of voting. After denying House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy the speaker’s gavel in the first round of voting, members of the House Freedom Caucus nominated Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, as an alternative they hope can gather support. Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the 218 votes he needs to be the next speaker in either of the first two votes on Tuesday. Democrats have stuck to their guns and delivered 212 votes each time for Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
The first two votes Tuesday included 19 votes for candidates besides McCarthy, which became 20 after Rep.-elect Bryon Donalds flipped to the anti-McCarthy side in the third vote. One member who is not worried is Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who has received votes for the speakership and has held out against McCarthy in four of the six votes. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., was the first to defect away from McCarthy, switching his vote during the third round of voting on Tuesday. McCarthy has failed to gain the required 218 votes to win the speakership in six straight roll calls since Tuesday. Nineteen opposed him in the first round of voting, but the coalition has since grown to 21 as lawmakers tire of the deadlock.
Rep. Byron Donalds defends voting against McCarthy for speaker: 'I want a resolution'
Republicans have 222 seats, but with 20 Republicans opposing McCarthy, it seemed clear that either new concessions from McCarthy would be needed to win them over, or perhaps some middle ground candidate. The House abruptly adjourned Tuesday afternoon after three failed attempts to elect a speaker. Sen. Roger Marshal, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital that the House is having a "family fight" amid an ongoing saga to elect the next speaker. "What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office? How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?" the Florida Republican added.
Pressed by reporters on Tuesday night about his efforts to overturn the election, Mr. Johnson smiled and shook his head, saying, “next question,” as Republicans beside him booed. A social conservative, Mr. Johnson is a lawyer and the former chairman of the Republican Study Committee. On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson was toiling to help Republicans turn the page from the chaos of the past few weeks. He said there would be none of the typical celebrations that accompany the election of a new speaker.
The conference went through three rounds of voting Tuesday, but leader Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the 218 votes required, with his opponents throwing in ballots for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and others. Donalds voted in favor of McCarthy becoming speaker for the first two rounds of voting, as 19 Republicans broke away to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. In the third vote, Donalds joined them, and the chamber abruptly adjourned for an overnight recess.
He flipped his vote to oppose McCarthy in the third failed attempt Tuesday, drawing wide attention. The congressman then went on Fox News and CNN Wednesday morning to describe his logic. Opponents from within the conservative Freedom Caucus to McCarthy’s bid for speakership are outnumbered 10 to 1 within the Republican Party, but they have been able to spike attempts to move forward due to the narrow Republican majority in the chamber. When asked by Fox News Digital during the Democratic leadership's weekly press conference Thursday about whether he agreed with Rep.-elect Cori Bush's statement, Jeffries didn't directly answer. But hours after those concessions were floated, at least five hardline GOP lawmakers indicated it still wasn’t enough, and made it clear they would continue to oppose him.
Rep.-elect Patrick McHenry was hosting one of several meetings on the House speaker race Wednesday night. Just before the vote, McCarthy said some progress was made in negotiations with his opponents, and said it would be more productive to keep talking rather than hold more votes. The CFL also reportedly spent $900,000 on campaign ads supporting Crane in Arizona. McCarthy has failed to surpass the 218-vote threshold in four separate role calls this week. Twenty Republican lawmakers are responsible for the stalemate, and most of them received cash from one of McCarthy's PACs during the midterm campaign, Politico reported. Billionaire Twitter CEO Elon Musk weighed into the Republican battle in the House of Representatives on Thursday, throwing his support behind Rep. Kevin McCarthy's, R-Calif., bid to be speaker.
That's an increase for Hern and a decrease for Donalds, but it leaves at 20 the number of Republicans voting for an alternate candidate over the last two days. At the end of the 10th vote, McCarthy had 200 votes, short of the 218 he needs. He had been collecting 201 votes, but Rep.-elect Ken Buck of Colorado traveled home for a medical appointment and was expected to be out until mid-day Friday or later. Alternate candidates to Kevin McCarthy in the 11th vote were Trump and Rep.-elect Kevin Hern of Oklahoma. For the first time in several votes, Rep.-elect Byron Donalds of Florida was not nominated.
Jim Jordan loses first round of balloting on House speaker vote: Voting expected Wednesday - The Associated Press
Jim Jordan loses first round of balloting on House speaker vote: Voting expected Wednesday.
Posted: Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
That includes a stronger HFC representation on key House committees, guardrails aimed at curbing excessive federal spending, and allowing just a single member of the House to make a motion to replace the speaker, lawmakers familiar with the framework told Fox News. "We BLOCKED Kevin McCarthy from becoming Speaker of the House," Biggs reportedly wrote in the email. "...but now, we conservatives must lead the fight to get the leadership we deserve. Saving this country from Joe Biden and the Left is going to be tough. That's why we need a leader who has the record, skill, and ferocity to lead the House GOP." The weekend poses a potential challenge for McCarthy, as he works to negotiate with a slim majority. Rep.-elect Ken Buck, R-Colo., had to leave the nation’s capital Thursday afternoon for a medical appointment — and other members may have conflicts as well.
Won a closed-door vote to become the Republican nominee for speaker, but withdrew his candidacy after failing to win over holdouts before a floor vote. Greene could launch a bid to evict Johnson from the speaker’s office, should she call it up for a vote, much the way Republicans booted Kevin McCarthy from the position last fall. Jeffries, the Democratic leader, remained noncommittal to helping Johnson keep the speaker’s gavel, though some Democrats have suggested they would be inclined help defeat the motion to vacate through procedural maneuvers. Greene has filed a “motion to vacate” the speaker from office, and it drew another supporter Friday as Rep. Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican, co-sponsored the motion. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, another co-sponsor, suggested that before the House breaks next week others could follow, building pressure on Johnson to step down.
Twenty Republicans voted for Jordan on the third ballot, leaving McCarthy 16 short of the 218 votes needed to secure the post he has long sought. The repeated failure to elect a speaker is a clear sign of the divisions in the Republican Party. If McCarthy prevails, Congress will hand off power and influence from a California Democrat — Pelosi — to a California Republican. If he doesn’t, both leaders could be relegated to the back benches — one by choice and the other by force. The motion to adjourn was adopted with little opposition Tuesday afternoon following hours of roll call votes that failed to elect a speaker.
Rep.-elect Byron Donalds has responded to criticism from fellow Rep.-elect Cori Bush, who said his "being Black" makes him a "prop" in the House speaker race. A group of Republican military veterans urged their colleagues to end the stalemate in the House and elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaker Wednesday evening. "We’re going to either see improvement up here the same way we made remarkable improvements in North Carolina in the state legislature, or I’m out," Bishop told Roll Call in an interview published early Thursday morning. He said that over McCarthy's 14-year tenure in Republican leadership, the would-be speaker has said the same things over and over again about threats facing the country and "every one of them has gotten worse, not better." "We don't have the White House now, we don't have the presidency. So, you know, we are effectively the leaders of the party," said Dhillon. "If we're not clearly articulating what our message is, why voters should vote for us, then we are losing. And in fact, we are always playing catch up with the Democrats."
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