Republican Kevin McCarthy has been elected speaker of the House of Representatives at the 15th attempt – after a week of wrangling and heated exchanges which almost saw fellow Republicans come to blows.
Despite having a majority in the chamber, McCarthy’s bid for office had split his party and tested its ability to govern.
But a deal was finally done on Friday night after four days of ballots as the last six rebels finally relented. Among them was Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who had earlier almost come to blows with Mike Rogers – a supporter of McCarthy. The Alabama congressman had to be physically restrained by colleagues as he bellowed and jabbed his finger at Gaetz.
As the last politician on the roll (Montana’s Ryan Zinke) voted, the House floor erupted in applause as it became clear McCarthy had finally emerged victorious.
“My father always told me, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” McCarthy told cheering fellow Republicans.
The Speaker is one of American politics’ most powerful positions, setting the House agenda and overseeing legislative business. The post is second in line to the presidency after the US vice-president.
The dissidents included members of the House Freedom Caucus, who argue that McCarthy is not conservative enough to lead them as they work to try to oppose Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda.
© Ken Cedeno/UPI/ShutterstockThe deal was the end of a bitter standoff that had shown the strengths and fragility of American democracy. The tally was 216-212 with Democrats voting for leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The resolution came after McCarthy agreed to many of the rebels’ demands – including the reinstatement of a long-standing House rule that would allow any single member to call a vote to oust him from office.
The showdown that has stymied the new Congress came against the backdrop of the second anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, which shook the country when a mob of Trump supporters tried to stop Congress from certifying the Republican’s 2020 election defeat to Biden.
Virginia Congressman Don Beyer referred to the angry scenes among Republicans that followed the 14th count.
“Unsettling that this process ends in threats of violence in the House Chamber, on this of all days,” he said. “A dark and sobering moment will probably be remembered long after this session ends.”
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