House Election Drama comes to an End as Kevin McCarthy is elected speaker on the 15th ballot
The nation’s hottest political TV drama came to an end early Saturday when California Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy After an explosive finale to the chaos on the House floor over the past week, was finally elected Speaker.
McCarthy won the 15th electoral vote for the powerful post that guides the House of Representatives’ policy agenda. The Capitol has been the site of extraordinary scenes of newly elected, far-right Representatives balking at McCarthy’s leadership as a protest against the Washington, D.C. status quo. The final tally for McCarthy was 216 votes, with another six defiant Republicans voting “present” for election.
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Late-night scenes showed Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia) and Matt Gaetz (Florida) taking the spotlight to get McCarthy past the final hurdle to take the gavel. At one point, according to CNN, on the 14th round of voting North Carolina GOP member Richard Hudson was seen physically restraining Alabama Republican Mike Rogers from confronting Gaetz, the flashy and controversial over his refusal to break the logjam over McCarthy’s ascent .
McCarthy spoke briefly to reporters around 2 a.m. in the halls. ET. McCarthy briefly addressed reporters in the halls of Congress around 2 a.m. ET. He was quick to refer to former President Donald Trump’s contributions to his cause. That was deemed shocking by numerous commentators as it came in the early hours of the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot in the Capitol that was inflamed by the former President’s dangerous rhetoric and misinformation about the 2020 election.
“He was with me from the beginning,” McCarthy said. “He was all-in,” describing Trump as making calls and pushing the few dozen recalcitrant MAGA members “for the party and for the country.” Of Trump he added, “No one should doubt his power.”
McCarthy spoke briefly about the national debate surrounding his strategies to win the majority vote. He quoted his father as often saying, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
Since 2006, McCarthy represented parts of northern Los Angeles County and the Bakersfield region in the House.
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