GOP Takes Control Of House Of Representatives With Slim Majority; Kevin McCarthy Poised To Be New Speaker
17.11.2022 - 03:33
/ deadline.com
Republicans were projected to gain control of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, returning them to the majority after four years by an ever-so-slim margin.
MSNBC and CNN called the race first this afternoon, with the Associated Press and Fox News following soon after. With about nine races still not called in this year’s midterm election, CNN gave the GOP 218 seats, a bare majority, with 208 seats being held by the Democrats.
Once the new Congress is sworn in in January, the first major test for House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy will be to win the speakership. He was nominated by the party caucus on Tuesday by an overwhelming margin, but 31 of his own members still voted against him and in favor of a rival, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
“We have our work cut out for us,” McCarthy told reporters. “We [are going to have] a small majority. We got to listen to everybody in our conference.” He said “either we will lead as a team or we will lose as individuals, but I think at the end of the day we will lead as a team.” If McCarthy becomes Speaker, he will be second in line to the Oval Office after Vice President Kamala Harris.
The GOP majority, likely under a half dozen votes when all is said and counted up, may be so slim as to perhaps put the party control in play if unexpected vacancies force special elections for some seats, as is typically the case in a 435-seat chamber.
California Congressman McCarthy also will have to unite different factions in his caucus, which include a chorus of loud MAGA voices inspired by Donald Trump, who announced his latest bid for the White House just yesterday. The tiny GOP victory has also raised pundit speculation as to who will replace current Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the Dems’