U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., listens to President Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020 (RNC video screenshot)
(POLITICO) -- Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid failed on the floor in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, as a band of hard-line conservatives blocked his path in one of the smallest GOP majorities in history.
In a stunning moment of chaos on the first day of the new Congress, McCarthy and his allies will now attempt to quell the revolt, preparing members to take repeated votes as pressure mounts from their colleagues. It will mark only the second time since the Civil War that a party will need multiple attempts to choose its leader on the House floor — with all business in the chamber, even the swearing-in of members, halted until a speaker is chosen.
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McCarthy and his backers are preparing for a grueling, potentially dayslong fight to try to win him the speaker’s gavel — which will require somehow flipping the votes of 19 members who voted for conservative challenger Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) or others. The California Republican’s allies are vowing to stay on the House floor, instead of trying to adjourn for off-the-floor strategy sessions between ballots, as McCarthy hopes to grind down his opponents.
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