Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has made no secret about his ambition to become Speaker of the House, and he has reportedly offered a concession to GOP conservatives that just might make his dreams come true.
CNN is reporting from Republican sources that McCarthy is prepared to agree to a lower threshold for a vote to oust the sitting speaker. McCarthy has been seeking a compromise threshold that would appease both conservative and moderate factions in the house adequately to consolidate enough votes to elect him speaker.
The current threshold to move for a vote to vacate the speaker’s chair is a majority of the House Republican caucus. Some conservatives wanted the threshold to be low enough that one member calling for a motion to oust the speaker would trigger a vote, while more moderate members were asking for a threshold as high as 50 members.
Fifty members? Why not push for unanimity?
The vote trigger is important to many Republicans as a way to keep the speaker accountable — especially if it’s McCarthy. Sources say that McCarthy is willing to agree to a threshold of five members to call for a motion to vote to vacate the speaker’s chair. But is that a compromise that will satisfy enough GOP House members to secure a majority?
A few more conservative members, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), still hold firm on a single-member threshold.
“’No, less than 5!!’ Norman said in a text message of the proposed motion to vacate threshold. ‘2 or less (my opinion),'” according to CNN. “And Gaetz said: ‘He’s gotta get down to 1.’”
Related: The Morning Briefing: McCarthy Toughens Up Before Speaker Fight—Will It Be Enough?
McCarthy was reportedly having a conference call with multiple groups of House members on Friday ahead of the vote, which is supposedly on the schedule for Tuesday. But it turns out that the threshold for voting to vacate the speaker’s chair might not be the only hurdle in convincing more conservative Republicans to line up behind him.
“The ‘devil is in the details’ as far as threshold & other rule concessions,” Norman told CNN. “Until the details are spelled out, in writing and sealed with social media posts, people will not move on votes.”
Some GOP members want an absolute commitment to a lower threshold rather than a simple willingness from McCarthy. It makes sense that they would want more than just a promise from McCarthy since he has a reputation for squishiness and going whichever way the wind blows.
On the other side of the coin, McCarthy wants to ensure support from the members who are holding out before he’ll solidly sign on to a lower threshold. All of it could lead to a stalemate that nobody wants.
Even though it has often seemed inevitable that McCarthy will become speaker, his ascension to the speakership isn’t necessarily a sure thing. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) challenged McCarthy as House Minority Leader in November, losing 188-31, but Biggs has continued to insist that he’ll challenge McCarthy for speaker.
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