California Democrat says he'd vote for a 'unity' GOP speaker, but McCarthy allies warn of concessions
Fox News
As anti-Kevin McCarthy dissenters grow, Democrats are moving toward agreeing to a unity candidate to become the next Speaker of the House.
Right now, five Republicans are dug in against McCarthy – and while some allies believe those members would fall in line amid significant backlash if McCarthy does not meet the 218 threshold on the first vote, others are concerned multiple rounds of voting could open a path for a challenger to overtake him with significant Democrat support. Jacqui Heinrich currently serves as a White House correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). She joined the network in September 2018 and is based out of Washington D.C.
Congressman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., told his Republican colleagues in conference Tuesday this scenario is not so far afield – relaying his own experience as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives.
"I was the minority leader in the Arkansas House. We flipped the majority, there hadn’t been a GOP majority in 138 years," Westerman told Fox. "It was close, 51 to 49. Our conference met, we adopted a policy agenda, selected our speaker, and thought everything was good until another Republican challenged. He had the support of 49 Democrats."