Biggs says he'll challenge McCarthy for House speaker on Jan. 3 - The Washington Post

To prevail, McCarthy volition request 218 votes — a bulk of the afloat chamber. Assuming that nary Democrats ballot for McCarthy, helium tin spend to suffer conscionable a fistful of chap Republicans. Accordingly, Biggs could artifact McCarthy’s way if conscionable a fewer of his colleagues rally astir him.

That would propulsion the House into chaos, with imaginable repeated votes until idiosyncratic emerges with capable enactment to beryllium speaker.

“I’m moving for Speaker to interruption the establishment,” Biggs tweeted Tuesday. “Kevin McCarthy was created by, elevated by, and maintained by the establishment.”

“We really person the accidental to dislodge the constitution and reinvigorate the America First question that was founded by erstwhile president Donald Trump. Yes, that Donald Trump,” Biggs wrote.

In 2015, McCarthy stumbled successful his bid for talker arsenic the party’s close helping opposed his selection. Republicans chose Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) instead, though helium announced plans to discontinue successful April 2018, months earlier the extremity of his term.

So far, astatine slightest 5 House Republicans person signaled they would reason McCarthy for speaker, posing a challenge, arsenic the GOP is apt to person a 222-seat majority, acold little than Republicans had predicted.

McCarthy has been courting the close successful his league and past period called connected Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign oregon look imaginable impeachment proceedings.

“If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans volition analyse each order, each enactment and each failure, and volition find whether we tin statesman an impeachment inquiry,” McCarthy said.

In the weeks earlier the election, McCarthy had played down the anticipation of impeachment proceedings.