Rep. Andy Biggs challenges Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House vote on January 3rd

[essentialsaltes]

Rep. Andy Biggs, the hard-right Arizona Republican who lost a bid last month for his conference’s nomination to be the next speaker, says he will be a candidate for the speakership on January 3 – a move that will only make it harder for House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy to claim the speaker’s gavel on the first ballot.

If McCarthy can’t win 218 votes on the first ballot, it will go to multiple ballots until someone wins 218 votes – something that hasn’t happened in about a century.

 

[Yttrium]

Biggs appears to be a pretty hardcore MAGA Trump enthusiast. I would not want him to become the next speaker. He would spend the next couple of years doing his best to mess things up.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Biggs appears to be a pretty hardcore MAGA Trump enthusiast. I would not want him to become the next speaker.

He's not really likely to win. Biggs recently lost to McCarthy 188-31 for the leadership post in the GOP. But this does show the fracture lines within the Republican party between the MAGA camp and the more traditional GOP. McCarthy's speakership is all but assured, but it shows the headaches he faces when there are a few dozen malcontents, and he only has a 4 seat majority.

 

[Fantine]

9 seats. But if 5 Republicans voted with Democrats they would win the vote. Unlikely.

 

[DaisyDay]

He's not really likely to win. Biggs recently lost to McCarthy 188-31 for the leadership post in the GOP. But this does show the fracture lines within the Republican party between the MAGA camp and the more traditional GOP. McCarthy's speakership is all but assured, but it shows the headaches he faces when there are a few dozen malcontents, and he only has a 4 seat majority.

Remember Boehner and Ryan.

 

[wing2000]

Biggs appears to be a pretty hardcore MAGA Trump enthusiast. I would not want him to become the next speaker. He would spend the next couple of years doing his best to mess things up.

He's as hard core as they come....original member of the "Freedom Caucus". However, given the losing record of Trump candidates in Bigg's home state (...and nationally), I don't see him picking up enough support to be speaker.

As an aside, he's my congressman....an Independent (and Democrat) ran against him this year, but sadly, only picked up 6% of the voters.

 

[Arcangl86]

He's as hard core as they come....original member of the "Freedom Caucus". However, given the losing record of Trump candidates in Bigg's home state (...and nationally), I don't see him picking up enough support to be speaker.

As an aside, he's my congressman....an Independent (and Democrat) ran against him this year, but sadly, only picked up 6% of the voters.

It's too bad that the Speaker vote isn't first past the post like all our other elections. This would have been a great way to end up with our first Black Speaker.

 

[mark46]

9 seats. But if 5 Republicans voted with Democrats they would win the vote. Unlikely.

I think that you have it backwards.

It could get to the point where no one is getting 218 Republican votes, and one of the candidates is able to negotiate for a few Democratic votes. The leader would probably agree to accept any Senate compromise on the budget, on Ukraine, on defense and on the debt limit. he would be required to bring these bills to the floor and provide 10-20 votes.

Note this requires zero agreement with Democratics, just acceptance of Republican Senate leadership on a few issues.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Trump calls on his supporters to stand down on McCarthy opposition​

I guess Ronna McDaniel bought a few dozen of his NFTs.

Donald Trump has weighed in on the contentious battle confronting GOP leader Kevin McCarthy in his bid to be the chamber’s next speaker, with the former president calling on his supporters in Congress to halt their opposition tactics against McCarthy and stop “playing a very dangerous game.”

McCarthy said Friday that the five conservative holdouts – Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia and Matt Rosendale of Montana – have not budged in their opposition to him and offered dire warnings that House Republicans’ hard-fought narrow majority could be derailed if they don’t bend.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Trump calls on his supporters to stand down on McCarthy opposition​

If you want to support the Trump movement, the only way forward is to disavow Trump.

Trump is stabbing conservatives in the back!

 

[wing2000]

If you want to support the Trump movement, the only way forward is to disavow Trump.

Trump is stabbing conservatives in the back!

View attachment 325270

Burn it down....go Andy!

 

[loveofourlord]

There has been talk for weeks now, that we could get a moderate republican over mcarthy or gatez, many of the less insane republicans would rather work with democrats to get a speaker they could vote for, then let the more insane side of the republican party have speaker.

 

[DaisyDay]

There has been talk for weeks now, that we could get a moderate republican over mcarthy or gatez, many of the less insane republicans would rather work with democrats to get a speaker they could vote for, then let the more insane side of the republican party have speaker.

Sadly, McCarthy is the more moderate, sane one.

 

[loveofourlord]

Sadly, McCarthy is the more moderate, sane one.

I mean other ones, there are many in the house that aren't even mcarthy crazy.

 

[Say it aint so]

These guys are in total disarray.
They are infighting on who is going to lead the RNC.
They are infighting on who is going to be the House leader.
Just the other day McCarthy has pledged to scuttle any legislation any Republican puts forward if they vote to fund the government.
There isn't a clown car big enough.

 

[DaisyDay]

How big does a clown car have to be, really?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Republicans Play Chicken With Kevin McCarthy’s Speakership​

There’s a standoff in the House between “Only Kevin” Republicans and the “Never Kevin” group. Both of them think the other will crack.

The “Never Kevin” camp is small: just five archconservative lawmakers have publicly said they will not, under any circumstances, vote for McCarthy. But if they stick to their guns, five votes is all it could take to throw the process into chaos—and potentially open up an avenue for another candidate to ascend to the top job.

[But there's also growing vocal support for an "only Kevin" camp. Mathematically, that provides a game of chicken.]

Each side, of course, insists they are more committed to their hand than the other.

“The people that are supportive of Kevin, which are far more numerous than his critics, are dug in at least as deep as his critics are,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), a stalwart supporter of McCarthy, in the Capitol on Thursday. “The pressure won’t be on them. It’s gonna be on the people that brought down the whole edifice—for what? For what purpose? What end?”

“That’s funny,” [VA Rep Bob] Good said. “The bottom line is, Kevin is not going to be Speaker… He’s not going to have the votes, and the number of individuals who are committed to not voting for him—it’s growing, not receding.”

 

[Pommer]

Republicans Play Chicken With Kevin McCarthy’s Speakership​

There’s a standoff in the House between “Only Kevin” Republicans and the “Never Kevin” group. Both of them think the other will crack.

The “Never Kevin” camp is small: just five archconservative lawmakers have publicly said they will not, under any circumstances, vote for McCarthy. But if they stick to their guns, five votes is all it could take to throw the process into chaos—and potentially open up an avenue for another candidate to ascend to the top job.

[But there's also growing vocal support for an "only Kevin" camp. Mathematically, that provides a game of chicken.]

Each side, of course, insists they are more committed to their hand than the other.

“The people that are supportive of Kevin, which are far more numerous than his critics, are dug in at least as deep as his critics are,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), a stalwart supporter of McCarthy, in the Capitol on Thursday. “The pressure won’t be on them. It’s gonna be on the people that brought down the whole edifice—for what? For what purpose? What end?”

“That’s funny,” [VA Rep Bob] Good said. “The bottom line is, Kevin is not going to be Speaker… He’s not going to have the votes, and the number of individuals who are committed to not voting for him—it’s growing, not receding.”

“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”― Napoleon Bonapart​

 

[essentialsaltes]

McCarthy commits to key concession in call with frustrated lawmakers but it’s no guarantee he’ll win speakership​

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy outlined some of the concessions that he has agreed to in his campaign for speaker on a Sunday evening conference call – including making it easier to topple the speaker, according to multiple GOP sources on the call. But McCarthy could not say whether he would have the votes for the speakership, even after giving in to some of the right’s most hardline demands.

Not long after Sunday’s call, a group of nine hardliners – who had outlined their demands to McCarthy last month – put out a new letter saying some of the concessions he announced are insufficient and making clear they’re still not sold on him, though they did say progress is being made.

It's looking bad for McCarthy, at least on vote #1. And it does look like Bob Good was right in his quote at the end of post #17.

 

[wing2000]

McCarthy commits to key concession in call with frustrated lawmakers but it’s no guarantee he’ll win speakership​

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy outlined some of the concessions that he has agreed to in his campaign for speaker on a Sunday evening conference call – including making it easier to topple the speaker, according to multiple GOP sources on the call. But McCarthy could not say whether he would have the votes for the speakership, even after giving in to some of the right’s most hardline demands.

Not long after Sunday’s call, a group of nine hardliners – who had outlined their demands to McCarthy last month – put out a new letter saying some of the concessions he announced are insufficient and making clear they’re still not sold on him, though they did say progress is being made.

It's looking bad for McCarthy, at least on vote #1. And it does look like Bob Good was right in his quote at the end of post #17.

It's going to be an interesting Tuesday in the House....