[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The U.S. House of Representatives continued voting for the second day on the 4th (local time) to elect a new Speaker of the House but has yet to finalize the winner. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House Majority Leader who was considered the frontrunner, failed to secure a majority in the 4th and 5th rounds of voting following three unsuccessful attempts the previous day, suffering a setback. The House is currently preparing for the 6th round of voting.
According to the Washington Post (WP) and others, the House held a plenary session on this day to conduct the 4th and 5th rounds of voting, but no candidate received the majority of 218 or more votes. Previously, on the opening day of the 118th Congress, the House conducted three rounds of voting but ultimately failed to confirm a winner. This is the first time in 100 years that the Speaker election in the U.S. House has not been decided in the first ballot.
On the second day, the Republicans nominated Kevin McCarthy as their candidate, while the Democrats nominated Hakeem Jeffries as theirs. However, the hardline faction leading the rebellion within the Republican Party separately put forward Representative Byron Donald as a candidate.
As a result of the voting, McCarthy received 201 votes in both the 4th and 5th rounds. The hardliners’ 20 votes went to Representative Donald in each round. Since the Republicans hold 222 seats in the House as the majority party, McCarthy needs fewer rebellion votes to be elected Speaker. Previously, 19 rebellion votes were confirmed in the 1st and 2nd rounds, and 20 in the 3rd round. Representative Donald, who became the hardliners’ candidate this day, was among the members who defected from McCarthy in the 3rd round.
This division within the Republican Party contrasts with the Democrats, who cast all 212 votes for Jeffries over three rounds. Jeffries continues to enjoy unanimous support from the Democratic Party on this day as well.
McCarthy stated, "I received the most votes," and confirmed his strong determination by saying, "We will continue until we win." However, local media such as WP reported that he has not contacted the hardline Republicans who cast rebellion votes overnight. The Republican hardliners have publicly criticized McCarthy’s election as Speaker, citing that he has not been aggressive enough toward the Democrats and President Joe Biden. Currently, they are demanding changes to the House rules to allow any member to submit a resolution to remove the Speaker.
Earlier this morning, former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of McCarthy and call for Republican unity did not significantly influence the hardliners’ stance. Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, saying, "I had a good conversation with Majority Leader McCarthy," and urged, "The Republican Party should not turn a great victory into a shameful defeat."
Accordingly, concerns are rising that the political turmoil within the House may prolong. Only after the Speaker is elected can key House activities such as forming standing committees and voting on bills proceed. In effect, the legislative process in Congress is at a standstill. Local media analyzed that McCarthy will have to make greater concessions to appease the hardliners. The New York Times (NYT) pointed out, "The hardline members do not expect Representative Donald to be elected. They want to record their dissatisfaction with McCarthy."
One hundred years ago, in 1923, the Speaker was elected after nine rounds of voting. In 1855, just before the Civil War, the House failed to elect a Speaker, resulting in as many as 133 rounds of voting over two months. President Joe Biden, before visiting Kentucky on this day, told reporters, "I hope the Republicans unite and act," and criticized the delay in the Speaker election process as "shameful. The whole world is watching."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
