House Democrats joined far-right Republicans in voting to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House Tuesday, marking the first time in U.S. history such a vote has succeeded.
Political analyst Louis DeSipio told KNX In Depth’s Rob Archer and Elsa Ramon that the fallout from the dramatic showdown will throw the Republican Party into chaos with an election rapidly approaching.
“This is a knife in their back, and sort of a self imposed knife in their back,” he said. “They have, sort of, 13 to 16 seats that they're very worried about in the 2024 elections. This is very hard for any of those members to hold on to those seats when the Republican caucus itself cannot fulfill its responsibilities in one of the most important branches of government.”
Republican strategist Rina Shah said the vote shows how much distrust McCarthy has garnered from his own colleagues, including some moderate Republicans. That sentiment is likely to sway voters as well.
“This is a complete loss for the Republican Party, because what this has done is shaken the confidence of its electorate,” Shah said. “Americans have been looking at Congress as not being able to represent them for quite some time, as being dysfunctional for quite some time. And that attitude has really hit a fever pitch within the Republican electorate. And that's why, I submit to you, Donald Trump was elected.”
As for who might step in to fill McCarthy’s role, Shah suggested that Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference, would be “the most natural choice.” But the party’s hard-right Freedom Caucus – which includes Matt Gaetz, who forced the vote on McCarthy’s ouster – would rather see one of their own in the speaker’s chair.
“What we see here is a moment in which Republicans have to put their heads together and truly figure out what's next,” she said. “There's so much happening, it's really hard to tell who is at the wheel with the Republicans.”
McCarthy was key in securing a last-minute deal to stave off a government shutdown for 45 days last Saturday, which led to the calls for his removal. Rep. Tom McClintock predicted “the House will be paralyzed” for weeks as they select their new leader, making it even more difficult to finalize a spending plan by mid-November.
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