World News | McCarthy Makes Case for House Speaker, but Right Flank Balks

Washington, Nov 15 (AP) With control of the House still unresolved, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy maneuvered Monday to lock up support to become the next House speaker, pushing past the objections of his right flank and embarking on a bruising path to seize the gavel from Nancy Pelosi if Democrats lose the majority.

House Republicans met behind closed doors late in the day to hear the pitch from McCarthy, who reaches for the speaker's gavel at a tumultuous time for the party.

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Leaders on Capitol Hill face a backlash over their disappointing performance in the midterm elections, which some blame on Donald Trump, as Republicans reassess their relationship with the former president. Trump is poised to announce his 2024 bid for the White House on Tuesday, the same day as the House GOP leadership elections.

McCarthy exited the two-hour meeting appearing confident ahead of Tuesday's internal party vote — a crucial first test.

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"The one thing you got to think about is it's going to be a tight majority so everyone is going to have to work together," McCarthy said.

"We'll be successful as a team and we'll be defeated as an individual if we don't all work together," he said.

The GOP leadership elections arrive at an inflection point for the Republican Party after the dismal election. McCarthy had promised big wins, with the most diverse class ever of Republican recruits, but voters rejected many of more extreme candidates and election deniers beholden to Trump. Instead, Republicans are limping toward the 218 seats needed for a majority, but votes are still being tabulated in several key states, including McCarthy's own California.

It's not just McCarthy's leadership that is in question ahead of Tuesday's party votes — his entire team, including Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the campaign chairman, faces blowback from the party's losses. Across the Capitol, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is also encountering opposition from his right flank ahead of his own leadership election Wednesday.

Tuesday's vote is a first step in McCarthy's pursuit of the gavel, ahead of the more formal vote when the new Congress convenes in January. The weeks ahead promise to be a grueling period of hardball negotiations between McCarthy and rank-and-file Republicans as he tries to appease their demands and rack up the support he will need in the new year.

"I don't just automatically assume heir apparent, necessarily," said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., who said he is still studying his choice for House speaker, a position second in line to the president.

"We are voting for somebody who is going to be two heartbeats from the presidency," he said. "To me that automatically makes this one of the most important votes you'll take as a member of Congress." (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)