Republican Kevin McCarthy on Friday picked up the support of most of the right-wing hardliners who had opposed his bid to lead the US House of Representatives, but fell short of clinching victory in the 13th ballot in four days.
WASHINGTON: Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the US House of Representatives early on Saturday, after making extensive concessions to a group of right-wing hard-liners that raised questions about the party’s ability to govern. The 57-year-old Californian suffered one final humiliation when Representative Matt Gaetz withheld his vote on the 14th ballot as
Lawmakers began a new round of voting after 10 p.m. ET (0300 GMT Saturday), with the California lawmaker predicting that the result would bring an end to the standoff within his party. McCarthy supporters and some Democrats worried the concessions he made in hopes of securing the House speakership, including agreeing to allow any single member to call for a vote to remove him from office at any time, could extend the deepest congressional dysfunction in more than 150 years.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Republican Kevin McCarthy on Friday picked up the support of most of the right-wing hardliners who had opposed his bid to lead the U.S. House of Representatives,