WASHINGTON (Reuters) Jan,5 – Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will try Thursday to elect a leader for a third day, as six unsuccessful votes have exposed internal divisions and raised questions about their ability to govern.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy lost power to the House Speaker as hardline conservatives refused to accept him despite pressure from prominent supporters, including the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. It was not possible to secure the majority required for such posts.
McCarthy’s supporters outnumber his opponents by 10 to 1, and are increasingly frustrated by their inability to elect a leader.
The delay prevented individual lawmakers from taking the oath of office and pursuing priorities such as investigating the Democratic president’s administration.
“We get a lot of messages from conservatives who are fed up with this,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green, a McCarty supporter who has a reputation as one of the most divisive lawmakers in Congress. Told. The leadership race got off to a worrying start for Republicans, who won a new majority in the House after they secured a narrow 222-212 majority in November’s general election.
It was his 1923 election campaign that the House did not choose the Speaker on the first ballot, which had to be resolved in nine ballots.
The house is scheduled to be back on Thursday at noon (1700 GMT).
McCarthy said late Wednesday that he was making progress, but it was not clear if he would win the holdout or if the party should look for alternatives.
Possibilities include Republican Rep. Steve Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan, who won his 20 votes in Tuesday’s nomination. Both have said they support McCarthy.
Republicans can also ask Democrats for help.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna told Reuters that he could support moderate Republicans who share subpoena powers with Democrats and agree to avoid risky stances on state funding and debt ceilings.
But Democratic House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that Republicans were not coming forward to discuss that option.
McCarthy’s supporters said they supported him. “They have 20 people demanding that 201 surrender unconditionally. Well, I’m not going to surrender,” Republican Rep. Trent Kelly said at a press conference Wednesday night.
Following Tuesday’s three failed votes, Wednesday’s three failed votes also served as an attack on Trump, who urged Republicans to unite behind McCarthy.
Trump remains an influential figure among Republicans and is so far the only one announced as the 2024 presidential candidate. Some within the party have blamed Trump for failing Republicans to win seats in Congress in the midterm elections. Some Republicans said the standoff was unlikely to end anytime soon. “It could last into the weekend. I hope it doesn’t, but it could happen,” said Rep. Scott Perry, McCarthy’s opponent.
