‘Cowardly’: McCarthy Backers Are Starting to Turn on Him, Politico Reports

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

“Unrest” is moving quickly through the ranks of House Republicans as multiple days and multiple votes have failed to elect a Speaker of the House, Politico reported Friday.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has lost a whopping 11 votes, with more than a dozen Republicans standing staunchly against the Republican leader, nominating everyone from Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) to former President Donald Trump to the position, spoiling McCarthy’s chances again and again.

According to Friday’s Politico Playbook, McCarthy’s been confronted by fellow Republicans looking for this impasse to end. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) reportedly confronted McCarthy with a letter signed by 80 fellow Republicans demanding a conference meeting. McCarthy responded by scheduling a Friday morning conference call, which is not enough for some.

“That’s a bit cowardly, if you ask me,” Wagner said. “We are all human beings.”

Other lawmakers refusing to be identified also voices frustrations with the voting impasse, with one top House Republican telling Politico he will be confronting McCarthy soon if this endless voting continues.

Politico reporters Rachel Bade, Eugene Daniels, and Ryan Lizza also highlighted the “human cost” of the House of Representatives being kept in a standstill as a number of Republican lawmakers are putting off serious personal issues to cast their votes.

Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX), for instance, welcomed a newborn this week, while Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) lost his mother.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has stood as one of McCarthy’s most staunch opponents and an unofficial leader to the House Republicans defying their party. He insisted to Fox News on Thursday that he has no plans of flipping his vote to McCarthy.