The real reason Kevin McCarthy won
Fox News
Many were quick to label Kevin McCarthy’s 14 failed speakership ballots embarrassing, but how did he end up the victor?
Casey Burgat is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Legislative Affairs program within George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management.
Ironically, losing those votes—as agonizing as they were for him personally—was perhaps the only way McCarthy and the Republican Party could have cleared their intra-party logjam. He obviously wasn’t able to lock up the necessary majority through negotiations alone. After all, McCarthy and the GOP have known for months they’d have to elect a Speaker before the House could swear in its members or organize itself for legislative business. Despite constantly bargaining with potential detractors since November, McCarthy couldn’t avoid the parade of primetime floor defeats.
But if McCarthy is such an embarrassing loser, how, then, did he end up the victor?