Kevin McCarthy met with reporters and tried to sell his failure to be elected speaker as a good thing, but the sweat on his brow told a different story.
Video:
.@GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy: “We did have an intense conference…we may have a battle on the floor but the battle is for the conference and the country and that’s fine with me…I don’t have a problem getting a record for the most votes for speaker, too…” pic.twitter.com/Awje43wVwS
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 3, 2023
McCarthy was asked by a reporter if he was going to stay in the race, and he answered, “I’m not going anywhere. Are you sick?”
McCarthy called out Matt Gaetz, who he claimed said that he would rather have Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries as speaker than vote for McCarthy. The House Minority Leader painted a picture of members of his own caucus trying to extort him for bigger budgets and special committee assignments.
The situation hasn’t changed in months. Kevin McCarthy does not have the votes to be the next Speaker of the House. He is going to try to grind down his opposition with a relentless series of speaker votes, but the reality is that the only thing his opposition wants is for McCarthy not to win.
Rep. McCarthy tried to play it cool, but the sweat on his brow told the real story. Kevin McCarthy is about to face a failure not seen on the House floor in a century, and even if he eventually prevails, he will be the weakest House speaker in modern history.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
