- In the 13th round for the election of the chairman of the US House of Representatives, only opponent Hakeem Jeffries, Dem/New York, was nominated against Kevin McCarthy.
- On the roll call vote, McCarthy received 214 votes and Jeffries received 211. Six votes went to Jim Jordan, Rep., Ohio.
- After a motion for order, the House of Representatives is adjourned until 10 p.m. local time in Washington (4 a.m. CET).
- In the power struggle for the presidency of the US House of Representatives, Republican McCarthy was able to win 14 votes from his opponents within the party for the first time in the 12th ballot.
In the historically long power struggle for the top post in the US Parliament, the tide has turned for Kevin McCarthy. The Republican managed to win over 14 of his party opponents in the twelfth ballot on Friday.
In previous elections, up to 20 right-wing deputies refused to support him and voted for other candidates – another Republican abstained. McCarthy, 57, still lacked the votes required to become Speaker of the House of Representatives.
It was the first time in the four-day vote that some of his opponents gave up their resistance. “We will make progress, we will shock you,” McCarthy said before the session began.
He had previously negotiated behind the scenes with his opponents and apparently made new, far-reaching concessions. The Republican had already made a lot of concessions to the radical members of parliament beforehand, making himself open to blackmail.
Power struggle diminishes support
The radical party rebels, many of whom are ardent supporters of former President Donald Trump, are demanding, among other things, that internal rules of procedure in Congress be changed. With this adjustment, their power in Parliament would be strengthened. “Above all, McCarthy’s most stubborn opponents seem intent on bringing him down,” said the New York Times.
It is noteworthy that ex-President Trump supports McCarthy. Appeals on his part, however, have so far been in vain. This also shows how divided the Republican party is. The longer the power struggle drags on, the more likely it is that McCarthy will lose support within his own ranks.
Always new opponents
The fact that the 57-year-old MP from the US state of California has now managed to win opponents over to his side should calm the critical voices for the time being. The Republican faction leader repeatedly downplayed the internal revolt against him and rejected allegations that the uprising in his own ranks was weakening him.
historical process
The current vote for the top job is already one of the longest in US history. Not since the 19th century has it taken the members of the House of Representatives as many attempts to elect a new leader as it does now.
The last time there were more ballots was only in 1859/1860. At that time, Republican William Pennington was only elected chairman of the Chamber of Congress in the 44th ballot. The process took several weeks at the time.