Kevin McCarthy refuses to drop out as he nonetheless sees a technique to turn into a spokesperson

Kevin McCarthy still thinks he could be the next Speaker of the House after making a big concession to his opponents. McCarthy refuses to get out.

CBS News’ Robert Costa tweeted:

Part of the reason the House GOP leadership is looking to adjourn tonight is that they feel they are making progress with some HFC members on a possible set of parameters for some of the critics to say “yes” or “yes.” can at least vote present. I would like to give the HFC members time to think about today’s presentations.

— Robert Costa (@costareports) January 5, 2023

The House will adjourn until noon Thursday ET, meaning there is a possibility that a new Congress will not be sworn in on a third day.

Rep. McCarthy made a major concession to those voting against him by pledging not to run in Republican primaries with open seats in safe Republican districts:

Significant development, according to @MariannaReports: pic.twitter.com/HE2ItoMzzl

— Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) January 5, 2023

McCarthy is the largest elected fundraiser on the Republican side of the House of Representatives. What he has promised to do will allow more MAGA extremists to win seats in the House of Representatives. McCarthy agrees not to fund moderate or establishment candidates who can defeat extremists in so-called safe Republican districts.

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The deal McCarthy made seems very stupid, as if a MAGA candidate were extreme enough it could open the door for Democrats to flip safe Republican districts.

This concession is not enough to make Kevin McCarthy the speaker. The big request the Never Kevins want is that an individual member can request a vote to fire the speaker at any time.

Kevin McCarthy is giving away all his power in exchange for a chance to become the weakest speaker of the House of Representatives in modern American political history.

It still doesn’t look like McCarthy can cobble together enough votes without stepping on the chopping block.

Kevin McCarthy has paralyzed the House by refusing to step aside and there is talk this debacle could drag on into next week if a resolution is not reached soon.

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His thesis focused on public policy with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and professional memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association