Kevin McCarthy, though probably better than the total RINO in control of the GOP’s Senate contingent, is far from what many MAGA Republicans want from the GOP leadership. Whether because he’s controlled by the Mitch McConnell types or because he just doesn’t have the stomach for it, McCarthy seems unwilling to fight like he needs to and really kick things up a few notches and take on the Dems.
Again, he’s not as bad as Mitch. But he’s also not the bare-knuckled brawler we want and need to be in the Speaker of the House position now that the GOP has won control of that body of the legislature.
And so Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, a man whose conservative credentials are proven by his former leadership of the House Freedom Caucus, is stepping up to the plate and running against McCarthy, who has been House Minority Leader since 2018, when he replaced Paul Ryan the RINO as the head honcho for the House GOP.
Rep. Biggs, speaking to Newsmax on Monday night about his decision to run against McCarthy, said:
“We have a new paradigm here, and I think the country wants a different direction from the House of Representatives. And it’s a new world, and, yes, I’m going to be nominated tomorrow to — to the position of Speaker of the House.
“We’ll see if we can get the job done and the votes,” Biggs said. “It’s going to be tough. I mean, Kevin — Kevin has raised a lot of money and done a lot of things. But this is not just about Kevin. I think it’s about the institutional direction and trajectory.”
Surprisingly, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia discussed why having someone other than McCarthy in leadership might not be a good idea when speaking to Real America’s Voice, saying:
“I actually think that’s a bad strategy when we’re looking at having a very razor-thin majority, with potentially 219 [seats], we’re talking about one vote.
“The danger is this: Do we want to watch a challenge for Speaker of the House simply because the ‘Never Kevin’ movement, just like we’ve seen a ‘Never Trump’ movement — do we want to see that challenge open the door to Nancy Pelosi handing the gavel to Liz Cheney?”
Assuming the election is not delayed, as some Republicans want to happen so that things can be sorted out in a less contentious fashion, the decision between Biggs and McCarthy will come down to a pair of votes.
The first will be a secret ballot election on Tuesday in which the House GOP Caucus will vote on who it wants in the leadership position. Whoever wins the majority in that vote will then have to receive 218 votes in a January election to become the new Speaker of the House.
With the GOP likely having just 219 votes, that will mean things will be cut very close for either McCarthy or Biggs in January, with not much room for internecine fighting to draw away a few very necessary votes.
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