McCarthy poised to fail on second speaker ballot as ‘Never Kevin’ lawmakers shift support to Jordan
Juliegrace Brufke
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At least 11 GOP lawmakers voted against Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on the second ballot for who will be the next speaker of the House after the top Republican faced 19 defections on Tuesday’s first ballot.
Conservatives stated that their position on the California Republican had not changed coming out of a fiery conference meeting ahead of the vote.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the chairman-elect of the House Judiciary Committee, whom six defectors voted for on the first ballot — nominated McCarthy for the second round, with the Ohio Republican arguing that “we really need to rally around him.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) then nominated Jordan, arguing that “maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it.”
MCCARTHY DEFIANT AHEAD OF SPEAKER VOTE: ‘I’VE EARNED THIS GODDAMN JOB
On the first ballot, Former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who launched a challenge against McCarthy, was the first to buck McCarthy, voting for himself.
Reps. Dan Bishop (R-NC), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Gaetz , Bob Good (R-VA), Biggs, Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Ralph Norman, Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA), Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), and incoming freshman Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) also backed Biggs.
Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Mary Miller, and incoming freshman Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Andy Ogles (R-TN), and Keith Self (R-TX) backed Jordan, while Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) cast his ballot for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).
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The McCarthy opponents shifted their support to Jordan on the second round of voting. Democrats remained unified around Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on the floor.