The MP from California has been working towards being elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for eight years.
(Photo: AP)
Washington On the evening of the midterm elections, the Republicans in the US Congress had everything ready for the big party: buffet, champagne, party decorations. But Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, saw irritated faces during his midnight speech. Republicans fared worse than expected in the midterms.
The Democrats were able to maintain their majority in the Senate, which was decided on Sunday night when the state of Nevada was counted. The Republicans still have a chance of taking over the House of Representatives – but with a much narrower majority than predicted. That, in turn, is a huge problem for McCarthy.
The MP from California has been working towards being elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for eight years. The third-highest office of state in the US harbors enormous power: For example, the speaker can determine which laws are dealt with. If the President and Vice President fail, the Speaker of the House steps in.
So far, McCarthy has been the minority leader in the Congress Chamber, meaning he is the leader of the opposition. If he wants to replace the Democrat Nancy Pelosi, previous speaker of the chamber, he needs 218 votes. But members of the far-right Freedom Caucus, which is close to Trump, are declaring war on McCarthy. They resent him for criticizing Trump after the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol.
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Republican Convention leader Elise Stefanik may try to challenge McCarthy — if only to garner attention. Trump will probably announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race this week, Stefanik is considered a possible candidate for the running mate.
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If McCarthy is elected anyway, he will be Biden’s biggest opponent in Washington. The Republicans in the House of Representatives want to make life difficult for Biden with an impeachment process or investigations against his government and family. There are even MPs who want to block budget negotiations – which can quickly trigger an economic crisis.
Trump: ‘Kevin flew in to kiss my butt’
The narrower the majority, the fewer dissenters McCarthy can afford when elected speaker. McCarthy is prepared for this mixed situation because he doesn’t want to go too far. McCarthy knows that shifting too far to the right could backfire. If the Republicans seem too chaotic, the Democrats could present themselves as the voice of reason against “the crazies,” as they’re called in Washington.
But McCarthy is also an opportunist – and would probably do a lot for power. The 57-year-old, of Irish and Italian descent, was his loyal defender during Trump’s tenure. However, McCarthy later condemned the storming of the Capitol by fanatical Trump supporters.
“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” McCarthy yelled into the phone when Trump refused to send in the National Guard. He later reconciled with Trump, which he happily shared with journalist Bob Woodward: “Kevin flew down to Mar-a-Lago to kiss my butt.”
During the campaign, McCarthy suggested he could freeze billions in US aid to Ukraine if he were elected speaker of the chamber. This prospect also worries US partners in Europe. The threat against Ukraine was probably McCarthy’s candy for the hard-line Republicans, to show them: When it comes down to it, I can get the president into real trouble. Whether that’s enough will be seen on January 3rd when the new congress meets.
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