Speaker vote: Byron Donalds brushes off potential retribution for going against Kevin McCarthy
Ryan King
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Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) shrugged off concerns about facing retribution for crossing aspiring House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), highlighting his physical prowess.
Donalds was the first House Republican to flip sides against McCarthy during the protracted GOP standoff in the lower chamber and became the nominee for rebel Republicans Wednesday, but downplayed fears McCarthy might strike back by booting him from sought-after committee roles.
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“Man, I’m 6’2, 275. I’m not worried about that. Seriously,” Donalds told reporters when asked about retribution.
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Donalds voted in favor of McCarthy getting the gavel twice Tuesday but switched sides after concluding the California Republican lacked a pathway. He has kept the door open to coming back around to McCarthy in the future. He was later joined by Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) in changing sides, though she opted to vote “present” instead of backing the dissidents.
At most, McCarthy has garnered 203 votes, far short of the typical 218 threshold needed to claim a majority to win the speakership. With Donalds joining the mutiny, there are 20 Republicans opposed to McCarthy. Due to the standstill, the new House has not yet been sworn in, and business in the chamber has ground to a halt amid uncertainty over committee compositions.
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Voting on the speakership is expected to continue until a breakthrough is achieved. Meanwhile, McCarthy has already moved into the speaker’s office.
McCarthy has reportedly offered some concessions to disgruntled Republicans, including rules reforms and commitments not to have the House Republican-aligned political action committee interfere in open primaries. Some have floated the prospects of Democrats intervening in the melee to end the impasse.