Pelosi suggests McCarthy doesn’t have the votes to be Speaker - The Hill

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) connected Sunday suggested House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) does not person capable votes to beryllium elected Speaker if Republicans instrumentality the bulk successful the little chamber.

Republicans look favored to triumph a constrictive bulk successful the House, which would marque McCarthy the front-runner for Speaker, but Pelosi suggested to co-anchor Dana Bash connected CNN’s “State of the Union” that McCarthy mightiness not unafraid the needed votes from his caucus.

“Why would I marque a judgement astir thing that whitethorn oregon whitethorn not ever happen?” Pelosi asked. “No, I don’t deliberation helium has it. But that’s up to his ain radical to marque a determination arsenic to however they privation to beryllium led oregon otherwise.”

House GOP lawmakers volition behaviour enactment elections down closed doors, wherever lone a bulk ballot successful the league is required to win.

Ultimately, lawmakers of some parties volition ballot for a caller Speaker connected the House floor, with the victor needing a bulk of 218 votes.

With Republicans’ imaginable bulk present looking narrower than galore pundits had predicted, the mathematics is tighter for McCarthy, who whitethorn lone beryllium capable to spend to suffer a fewer members of his enactment successful the level vote.

He has worked to enactment up enactment for Speaker arsenic the party’s enactment elections approach, and members supporting him support assurance that McCarthy volition look victorious.

The Freedom Caucus, a radical of blimpish lawmakers who mostly enactment erstwhile President Trump, is hoping to negociate with GOP leaders astir a slate of rules alteration requests for the caller term.

“What we privation to marque definite of is that each subordinate of Congress is treated reasonably and equally,” Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-Pa.) said connected Thursday. “Increasingly, implicit decades, it has been that powerfulness — that dependable — has been concentrated successful enactment successful some the Senate and the House.”

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), different subordinate of the caucus, told Fox News that determination “absolutely” volition beryllium a challenge to McCarthy’s bid for the Speakership.