He easily won enough votes — 188 — to become the Republican nominee for speaker, while his challenger, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), garnered just 31 votes. But McCarthy will need to win over nearly all of those dissenters in early January, when he will need 218 votes to become speaker when the full House votes on who will succeed Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
This will not be an easy task. Several House Republicans have made it clear they want big concessions in exchange for their votes — and some say, at least for now, that McCarthy won’t get their vote.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will face a challenge of his own this morning.
#McConnell #Faces #Senate #Leadership #Challenge #GOP #atop #House #control
