November 2023

House in Disarray as Kevin McCarthy is Ousted from Speakership in Historic First

 photo courtesy of Kent Nishimura via Getty Images

By Jullian Cauntay

       8 Republicans, comprising 4% of the House GOP caucus, voted with Democrat to vacate the speakership – 216-210, successfully ousting Speaker Kevin Mccarthy (R-CA) on October 3, a first in US history. “I may have lost this vote today, but as I walk out of this chamber I feel fortunate to have served,” Mccarthy said in a press conference looking back at his performance as speaker. This followed a series of bipartisan negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over the looming government shutdown. The Republican majority gave several concessions in order to keep the government running for 45 more days - November 17, when the house must vote on another appropriations bill to prevent a shutdown. 

            The motion to vacate was spearheaded by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) who was angered by the speaker’s reliance on Democratic votes to help pass the continuous resolution to avoid a partial government shutdown. Republican allies of Mccarthy fiercely fought Gaetz at the podium. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) urged his colleagues to turn down the motion to avoid plunging the House Republicans “into chaos.” Gaetz fired back at Cole saying “Chaos is Speaker Mccarthy.” Following the ouster, Mccarthy ally Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-SC) assumed the position of speaker pro tempore until a new speaker is elected. Visibly frustrated by the ouster, McHenry then called the House into recess, as he slams the gavel signifying the tumultuous and short speakership of Kevin Mccarthy.

          Over a 3 week period, Republicans scrambled to elect a new speaker. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) was the obvious choice for institutionalist members of the caucus. Trump-backed Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) also threw his hat in the ring. Scalise ultimately won the Speakership nomination but withdrew his candidacy a day later after his failure to convince hardliners to his side. Due to the slim 221-212 majority, the Republican candidate for speaker cannot afford to lose any more than 5 votes. Judiciary Chair Jordan was then put forward, facing three floor votes and losing all three. 20 moderate Republicans were initially firm on voting against Jordan as his election would be “rewarding the behavior” of the far-right bloc of the caucus. After each subsequent vote, Jordan bled support and was dropped by the conference via secret ballot. 9 Republicans then tossed their hat into the ring, the most prominent of which being House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN). Emmer won the party’s nomination but dropped out only hours later as the far-right bloc vowed to block his election for certifying President Joe Biden’s election in 2021. The ‘big three’ of the House leadership have all vied and lost their bids for speaker signifying a free for all for the members of the Republican conference. Finally, a relative unknown, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) won his party’s nomination as well as the people’s gavel after three tense weeks publicly highlighting the internal divisions within the Republican party. Speaker Mike Johnson was able to unite the conference’s moderate, establishment, and far-right blocs, through his conservative stances on abortion, same-sex marriage, and his effort to decertify the 2020 election results. He faces a bumpy beginning to his tenure. With a divided party and a looming government shutdown, Johnson must keep all sides happy to ensure his survival as Speaker of the House.🐾

Sources:         

•  Kevin McCarthy ousted as House Speaker in historic vote | Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/mccarthy-says-he-thinks-he-will-survive-leadership-challenge-us-house-2023-10-03/ 

• Speaker McCarthy ousted in historic House vote, as scramble begins for a Republican leader: https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555 

• Trump ally Mike Johnson elected House speaker three weeks after McCarthy ouster | CNN Politics: https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/25/politics/house-speaker-vote-republicans/index.html 

• Emmer bid collapses, extending extraordinary GOP Speaker losing streak | The Hill: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4273184-tom-emmer-drops-out-speakers-race/ 

• Republicans drop Jim Jordan's US House speaker bid after third failed vote | Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/jim-jordan-make-third-try-top-job-paralyzed-us-house-2023-10-20/ 

• Steve Scalise drops out of speaker's race as House GOP faces leadership crisis | CNN Politics: https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/politics/steve-scalise-speaker-fight/index.html