The 14 Republicans who switched their votes to McCarthy
The 14 Republicans who switched their votes to McCarthy
BY MIKE LILLIS, EMILY BROOKS AND MYCHAEL SCHNELL – 01/06/23 1:28 PM ET
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UPDATE: This story was updated at 3:24 p.m. to clarify Rep.-elect Eli Crane as a “no” vote on electing Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. It was earlier updated to reflect Rep. Andy Harris’s (R-Md.) vote for McCarthy on the 13th ballot.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made significant gains in his bid to become the next House Speaker on Friday after a deal with his detractors swung 14 votes in his favor.
McCarthy won 13 new votes on the 12th ballot, and picked up a 14th new vote on the 13th ballot.
It’s not enough to make McCarthy the Speaker, as he needs a majority of those present. But his 214 votes on the 12th ballot fell just three shy of the number needed to seize the gavel, and it marked the first time this week that he bested the Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), who had led every previous ballot.
Jeffries received 211 votes, reflecting one Democratic absence. The seven Republicans who maintained their opposition to McCarthy split their votes between two of their GOP colleagues. Two additional Republicans were absent during Friday’s vote.
It’s not clear if McCarthy can win over his final opponents. But it does represent real progress for the embattled Speaker-in-waiting after a difficult and historic week in which 20 Republicans repeatedly blocked his path.
Here are the Republicans who switched sides.
McCarthy ‘Noes’ who are now ‘Yes’ (14)
Rep. Dan Bishop (N.C.)
Bishop was the first of the group of 20 to switch sides by virtue of the alphabet. Republicans backing McCarthy rose and gave him a loud ovation after he announced on the floor his vote for McCarthy, on the 12th ballot.
Rep.-elect Josh Brecheen (Okla.)
Rep. Michael Cloud (Texas)
Rep. Andrew Clyde (Ga.)
Applause from McCarthy supporters also followed the announcements by Brecheen, Cloud and Clyde as they announced their support for McCarthy.
Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.)
Donalds, in just his second term in Congress, was thrown into the spotlight this week when he became the first McCarthy supporter to switch to the opposition, in the third ballot, and was later nominated by the detractors to challenge McCarthy directly.
Yet Donalds spent most of Thursday playing a central part of the talks with McCarthy’s allies. In the 12th ballot as the votes changed, he was not nominated against McCarthy.
Rep. Paul Gosar (Ariz.)
Gosar voted for McCarthy on Friday.
Rep. Andy Harris (Md.)
Harris did not vote for McCarthy on the first 12 ballots, but he switched his vote to McCarthy on the thirteenth ballot. Shortly afterwards, he explained his reasoning in a tweet.
“Washington and Congress are broken,” he said. “If the agreement we were able to finalize over the last few days is implemented, it will be the greatest change in how the House operates and becomes much more responsive to the American people in a least two generations.”
Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.)
“Pending negotiations in good faith … with this entire conference, Kevin McCarthy,” Luna said to applause.
Luna, who has been an adamant opponent of McCarthy, told reporters Thursday night that talks in Emmer’s office had been “all net p
