Kevin McCarthy Will Never Become The United States Speaker Of The House Of Representatives
Channel: Papa Daddy Unscripted
Date: 2022-12-01

218 votes isn’t the magic number for McCarthy (R.-Calif.) like it is for his party. Multiple House Republicans are signaling they won’t support him for speaker. And right now they could plausibly number enough to prevent his ascension — just like in 2015.

Here’s where things stand.

So far, four House Republicans have said or suggested they’re not supporting McCarthy. And the likeliest 2022 election outcome is that House Republicans will end up with 221 or 222 votes in the chamber, giving McCarthy around a three- or four-vote cushion in the speaker vote. (You need a majority to be elected speaker.)

Where things go from here largely depends not only on these Republicans’ commitment to opposing McCarthy — which is a valid question, given the pervasive posturing in politics — but also how they would register that discontent.