In his quest to rise to House speaker, Kevin McCarthy is charging straight into history — potentially becoming the first nominee in 100 years unable to win the job on a first-round floor vote.
FILE – House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., joined by Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., left, talks to reporters about the appropriations process by the majority Democrats to fund the government, at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 14, 2022. In his quest to rise to House speaker,is charging straight into history — potentially becoming the first nominee in 100 years unable to win the job on a first-round floor vote.
Not since the disputed election of 1923 has a candidate for House speaker faced the public scrutiny of convening a new session of Congress only to have it descend into political chaos, with one vote after another, until a new speaker is chosen. At that time, it eventually took a grueling nine ballots to secure the gavel.
The dilemma reflects not just McCarthy’s uncertain stature among his peers, but also the shifting political norms in Congress as party leaders who once wielded immense power — the names of Cannon, Rayburn and now Pelosi adorn House meeting rooms and office buildings — are seeing it slip away in the 21st century.
“Does he want to go down as the first speaker candidate in 100 years to go to the floor and have to essentially, you know, give up?” said Jeffrey A. Jenkins, a professor at the University of Southern California and co-author of “Fighting for the Speakership.”
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