In a historic move Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted three times for the new Speaker of the House — to no avail. Republican frontrunner Kevin McCarthy lost his bid three times after it was predicted that he’d win, with some fellow Republicans detracting. The last time the House had to vote more than once for a new Speaker was in 1923 — 100 years ago.
So why are some Republican representatives choosing a different candidate? Jean Evans, a former Republican state representative and Republican party executive, told KMOX that there’s gamesmanship going on behind the scenes.
“But ultimately, there really is no off ramp. For those who oppose Kevin McCarthy, they don't have a candidate who can get enough votes, they probably are trying to put something together to make it look like they can,” Evans said. “But the reality is — from my sources — they don't have another candidate who could get the votes, which means that Kevin McCarthy eventually will win.”
Evans added that the longer this goes on, the more alienated the detractors will become from the rest of their caucus. “They’re kind of digging themselves into a hole,” she said.
She explained why some Republicans are refusing to vote for McCarthy, who continued to fall just shy of the required 218 votes to win.
“Apparently a lot has to do with some rules. And some of the rules that they're pushing for, could be seen as disruptive for the overall for the for things to move forward. That's what I'm hearing,” she said.
Hear more from Jean Evans on how the election for Speaker of the House may shake out:
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