McCarthy had been fighting opposition within his own ranks for weeks, offering his opponents all sorts of concessions to appease them and win them over to his side. But they did not let the showdown in the plenary take place. The 57-year-old had to make further concessions to unify his opponents. Only then could he turn the tide and change the minds of enough party colleagues.
When asked how certain he was of staying in office, McCarthy said after the election victory: “1,000 percent.” He also tried to downplay the internal divisions within his group. A way has been found to work together, he said, anticipating potential struggles of this type in future polls.
US Congress: Majority for McCarthy
On the fourth day of voting and in the 15th round, the Republican members of parliament in the USA finally elected Kevin McCarthy as chairman of the House of Representatives. It was the longest election for Speaker of the House in 160 years.
ejection seat?
Nevertheless, despite the successful election, McCarthy took office weakened and faced great difficulties in organizing majorities in the Chamber of Congress in the years to come. In addition, McCarthy has promised his opponents within the party more power for the removal of a chairman – in other words, for removing him from office if in doubt.
His concession to the hardliners in his own ranks, that each and every member of parliament can demand a vote to remove the speaker at any time, gives this group immense influence. The concessions, such as spending cuts, that McCarthy had to make for his election are likely to spell turbulence in the coming months. That’s especially true if Congress has to approve another increase in the US’s $31.1 trillion credit authority.
“Glad It’s Over”
At first, however, McCarthy was relieved that he was elected to the third highest office. “I’m glad it’s over,” McCarthy said shortly after the last election rounds, which were accompanied by turbulent scenes. McCarthy also addressed words of thanks to ex-President Donald Trump. “I don’t think anyone should doubt his influence,” McCarthy said, saying Trump helped secure the votes needed for his election.
“Our system is based on ‘checks and balances’,” McCarthy said in his inaugural speech, referring to the state’s separation of powers. “It’s time for us to be a scrutiny and bring some balance to the President’s policies.”
US President Joe Biden congratulated McCarthy. “I’m willing to work with Republicans if I can,” Democrat Biden said Saturday. It’s time to “govern well and make sure we put the interests of American families first.”
Election accompanied by chaos
The party’s internal rebellion against McCarthy paralyzed the House of Representatives for days and plunged it into chaos. The lengthy process is seen as a sign of internal dissension among Republicans. After the parliamentary elections in November, Congress met for the first time on Tuesday in a new constellation. The Republicans took control of the House of Representatives – in the Senate Biden’s Democrats still have a narrow majority.
Usually, the election to the chair of the Chamber of Congress is a formality. The last time there was more than one election was around 100 years ago, more elections than this time only in 1859/1860. At that time, Republican William Pennington was only elected chairman of the Chamber of Congress in the 44th ballot. The process took several weeks at the time. In McCarthy’s case, the voting marathon dragged on for four days.
