GOP tension builds over House speaker race as McCarthy and critics prep for floor fight - CNN

CNN  — 

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and his critics are gearing up for a imaginable level combat implicit the speakership successful January, raising the anticipation of a messy intraparty showdown that could bring uncertainty and chaos conscionable arsenic Republicans hole to participate their caller majority.

McCarthy inactive insists helium will person the 218 votes needed to unafraid the speakership. Conservative hardliners seeking to crippled McCarthy’s ouster accidental otherwise.

And what volition hap if helium can’t get 218 votes? No 1 knows.

“You can’t bushed idiosyncratic with nobody, and there’s cipher other running,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, a South Dakota Republican who supports McCarthy for speaker. “Even if determination was different announced candidate, that idiosyncratic would not beryllium amended positioned to get 218 than Kevin.”

McCarthy’s foes accidental different campaigner volition look and that talks person already begun to enlistee a replacement.

“There’s quiescent talks going connected with different candidates,” said Rep. Bob Good, a Virginia Republican who’s 1 of the fistful of blimpish hardliners publically saying they are “hard no” votes against McCarthy. “But arsenic you mightiness imagine, those candidates are going to beryllium precise hesitant oregon reluctant to beryllium successful immoderate mode public.”

If McCarthy loses much than 4 GOP votes connected January 3, helium is expected to autumn nether the 218 votes helium would request to assertion the speakership. Then the House would support voting until idiosyncratic wins a bulk of enactment from the members successful attendance who are choosing a circumstantial campaigner and not voting “present.” If that happens, McCarthy insists helium inactive won’t driblet out.

“Oh yeah, I’ll instrumentality the speaker’s combat to the floor,” McCarthy told CNN.

McCarthy besides said helium was consenting to spell done arsenic galore rounds of voting connected the level arsenic it takes, predicting: “I’ll get there.”

Meanwhile, the California Republican’s fiercest detractors are besides digging in.

Members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus met with the chamber’s parliamentarian connected Wednesday successful bid to get a briefing connected the level rules and procedures that dictate the process for the speakership vote. And immoderate of McCarthy’s foes are reiterating their pledge to reason him connected the level and calling connected the GOP person to driblet retired of the contention present truthful they tin commencement the hunt for a superior alternative.

“He tin debar it now,” said Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, a erstwhile co-chair of the Freedom Caucus who mislaid to McCarthy for his conference’s information to beryllium speaker, of a imaginable level fight. “He doesn’t person the votes. We tin determination to antithetic candidates. I’m consenting to entertain anyone else.”

The committedness from some camps to instrumentality the speakership conflict to January is shaping up to beryllium a governmental crippled of chicken, with some sides signaling they’re consenting to telephone the other’s bluff. But astir Republicans are hoping it won’t travel to that, worrying it would acceptable the incorrect code arsenic they participate into powerfulness and hole for a pugnacious 2 years of governing portion moving to support their constrictive majority.

“I don’t privation to spot that happen. I can’t warrant that not happening close now,” Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump state who is backing McCarthy, said of a talker showdown connected the floor. “But the extremity is to halt that from happening, to get everybody connected the aforesaid page, and make unity truthful that we’re acceptable from time one.”

Added Tennessee Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, different McCarthy backer: “My anticipation is that we person unity and get this done connected the archetypal ballot, but we’ll see. … I’m hoping and praying for unity.”

Some Republicans deliberation the hardliners are bluffing.

“Maybe they’re conscionable trying to beforehand themselves a small bit?” said Rep. Greg Pence of Indiana, adding that blimpish members’ views down closed doors are much collegial than they whitethorn beryllium publicly.

Asked if helium could alternatively ballot for McCarthy’s No. 2, Steve Scalise, for speaker, Pence said: “I’m voting for Kevin McCarthy. He’s gonna win.”

The past clip a ballot for talker had to spell to aggregate ballots was successful 1923. And the longest clip successful past it took to elite a talker lasted 2 months, with a full of 133 ballots.

In caller weeks, portion of McCarthy’s transportation to his critics has been that if they don’t unify, past Democrats could theoretically set unneurotic and peel disconnected a fewer Republicans to elite the adjacent talker connected the floor.

“Having a situation connected the level is ne'er going to beryllium affirmative and truly crook the level implicit the Democrats,” McCarthy told reporters this week.

Biggs, however, brushed disconnected that possibility. And astir Republicans don’t spot it arsenic a superior threat, though they privately admit the speaker’s contention could spell to aggregate ballots.

“I don’t bargain it,” Biggs said. “Name the Democrat that a Republican would ballot for.”

Some moderates and mainstream Republicans are increasing progressively frustrated with their colleagues’ threats to origin chaos connected the floor. And immoderate of them person a informing of their own: if the ballot goes to a 2nd ballot oregon more, they program to conscionable support voting for McCarthy – perchance foiling the anti-McCarthy group’s plans to unit him retired of contention successful the hopes of getting lawmakers to rally astir an alternative.

“Many of america are perturbed. We took a ballot and McCarthy got 85%,” said Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, who represents a territory that Joe Biden carried successful 2020, referring to the interior GOP predetermination erstwhile Republicans backed McCarthy to beryllium their nominee. “The close happening to bash is coalesce astir idiosyncratic who has wide support. To bash different weakens the league and hurts the team.”

So far, astatine slightest 5 House Republicans person vowed to reason McCarthy for talker – a occupation for him since helium apt tin lone spend to suffer 4 GOP lawmakers – though immoderate of them person expressed openness to negotiating.

McCarthy’s foes accidental helium has a overmuch bigger problem.

“Well, I deliberation it’s a overmuch larger fig than radical realize,” Good said of the McCarthy “no” votes. “My anticipation would beryllium that much of them volition commencement to travel retired publicly. So it conscionable becomes progressively wide that helium doesn’t person the votes and we request to see different candidates.”

To triumph implicit holdouts, McCarthy has brokered negotiations connected imaginable rules changes designed to empower rank-and-file members, specified arsenic enabling members to connection much amendments and giving them much announcement earlier fast-tracked bills travel to the floor.

And McCarthy has besides made nationalist professions astir what helium would bash arsenic speaker, from dangling a imaginable impeachment enquiry implicit Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to threatening to investigate the House prime committee investigating January 6, 2021 — some apical priorities connected the right.

“We’ve got a agelong mode to go,” said Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, the existent Freedom Caucus chief. But helium added: “I deliberation determination is simply a burgeoning realization and acknowledgment that this spot is broken. That’s a start.”