Does Pelosi Have the Votes to Remain Speaker? Minority Leader McCarthy Says Probably Not
“To become Speaker you have to have 218 votes on the floor. When Pelosi went up for that vote two years ago, there were 15 Democrats who voted against her. Ten of those Democrats will be coming to Congress. Those 10 vote against her again, she will not be Speaker of the House.”
Despite a failed impeachment bid and messaging that blew giant holes in Democrat majorities across the the country, eighty-year-old Nancy Pelosi is again vying for the gavel.
With a dwindling House majority, minority leader Kevin McCarthy says Pelosi might not have the votes.
In a Newsmax feature Sunday, Rep. McCarthy said, “To become Speaker you have to have 218 votes on the floor. When Pelosi went up for that vote two years ago, there were 15 Democrats who voted against her. Ten of those Democrats will be coming to Congress. Those 10 vote against her again, she will not be Speaker of the House.”
In an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” McCarthy hailed GOP election wins in the House and Senate.
“They said in the House, Republicans would lose 15-20 seats, every pollster said that, Speaker Pelosi and [House Majority Leader Rep.] Steny Hoyer [D-Md.]. They also said we would lose the Senate and legislatures as well. What happened?
“We didn’t lose one incumbent. We won every seat except one open. We won 28 of the 29 most competitive seats …. We didn’t lose the Senate. We didn’t lose one control of any legislature. Actually, Republicans gained three new legislatures and we’ve had the most competitive presidential race in our modern history.”
“That’s why every vote should be counted, every recount go forward, and every challenge should be heard,” he said.
Pelosi, he predicted, won’t win back her speakership in January either.
“To become Speaker you have to have 218 votes on the floor,” he noted. “When Pelosi went up for that vote two years ago, there were 15 Democrats who voted against her. Ten of those Democrats will be coming to Congress. Those 10 vote against her again, she will not be Speaker of the House.”
“We are close enough now that we can control the floor with a few Democrats joining with us,” he declared, adding: “I think it’s better for America the sooner a Republican becomes Speaker.”
After devastating Democrat electoral losses, members of the Democrat house caucus, in tears, lamented how extreme messaging had cost them at the ballot box. Amazingly, Pelosi disagreed with the dissent.
Regardless of McCarthy’s speculation, never count Pelosi out.
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Comments
Be careful what you wish for
We know she is angling to be the “first” “female” President.
Kamala’s life is worthless in view of Pelosi’s goal.
The House could end up with South Carolina’s Representative James Clyburn, as Speaker. Former VP Biden was going down hard in the primaries, until (D)Representative Clyburn strongly suggested that black voters should support Biden. Mr. Clyburn may not be an improvement over Nancy Pelosi….
The more I look at these people, and how long they’ve been in the swamp, I think one of the best things we could do is limit both terms and ages of people in the House and Senate. I think no younger than 32,and no older than 60 when sworn in, and unable to run for office after the age of 70. Limited to two consecutive terms in any office. Also, make them spend 90 days of every year in their home districts or they cannot run for re-election. Yes, I know that’s a pipe dream. They are not about to kill the golden goose of being in office.
Wouldn’t that just give more power to the unelected professional staffers and lobbyists?
That’s the demon career pols like to invoke against term limits. Career pols lie.
Term limit non-elected officials to ten years in any position paid for by the government, either direct employment, consulting or contracting.
Lifetime ban on lobbying for anyone with so much as a day of government funded employment.
I’ve been thinking 2 year limit and use the positions for job training.
If we right size the government and cut the 95 percent of regs that only exist to self-perpetuate and empire build the oafs’ fiefdoms then there is no need for any kind of unelected Gov. AHs….
They’re fully capable of being replaced, moved, or retired. We’re long past when we should remove the ability of federal employees to collectively bargain.
Defund the federal government.
Make spending decisions move more to the states.
Outlaw government unions forever.
Take away most of their limited liability.
Take away the governors police security details. They aren’t the ones with their fingers on the button or in charge of secrets. You can bet bwitches like wHitler would be less hateful.
Amen!
“90 days in their district”?
That would mean Nancy would fly home twice a week instead of once.
I suppose I should have been more specific – no less than 90 days annually when congress is not in session, and for no less than 20 consecutive days in order to be counted toward the 90 day minimum.
Pelosi doesn’t have it *now*. She didn’t have it two years ago, either — she was the compromise candidate after the different wings of the party fought over who would replace her.
Sort of like Biden.
And this time, The Squad has more horsepower.
I just want to watch her turn that gavel over again.
After watching Pelosi deliberately rip up the President’s speech on camera, I could care less what happens to her. It will be a great day for the country when she is no longer in the House.
With the potential of a Speaker of the House being a temporary “President” , the optics of Nancy as Prez is a cracked mirror too far. They will, even temporarily, select a more presidential looking figurehead.
Can the Republicans put forward a candidate for Speaker? If they got a couple Dems to vote for that person over Pelosi, could there be a Republican Speaker with a Dem majority?
Both caucuses traditionally offer a candidate for Speaker. Party-line votes typically elect the majority’s candidate.
I have lived in two states where the legislature’s lower house speakership did not go that way — either a minority-party speaker was elected with mostly majority-party support, or a majority-party speaker was elected with mostly minority-party support.
No reason either of those couldn’t happen in Congress.
Yeah, but you know exactly what would happen.
Democrats will NEVER cross to elect a Republican speaker.
So they’re going to convince a few squish RINOs to vote a different Democrat in.
Guess what: the Speaker need not even be a member of the House, although every Speaker to date has been.
One undercurrent 2 years ago was that the Democrats would name Hillary as Speaker, then impeach Trump/Pence thus making her President. Fortunately, there was too much infighting for that to happen.
I think it would be fun to make Gingrich speaker – even if just for a couple of months. Just to make the leftists melt down all over again.
She’s not running for Speaker of the House. She’s running for Shrieker of the House.
She’s supremely qualified.
How’s this look? First term candidate has to win 50%+1. Second term 52.5%, third term 55%, 4th term 60%, 5th term 70%.
Maybe she will gas up her broom and fly home to SF.
Not P.C.
CHARGE up her broom….
I wouldn’t bet against her being re-elected Speaker. She got every single Communist (except one) to vote for impeachment, which was a runny turd no amount of polishing could make shine. Some Communist Representatives may loath her and blame her for their near loss of the House of Representatives, but they are terrified of crossing the Communist leadership.
If you are going down…
Hell. May as well go down in flames.
Just like RBG, Pelosi is another narcissistic tyrant whose ego supersedes her better judgment.
“WHAT better judgment!?”
(obligatory)
Nancy Pelosi will eventually die.
If you were looking for a reason to smile, there it is.
“Eventually” is weak tea. I’m looking like a reason to laugh like Vincent Price.
Republicans should vote for her.
That entitled windbag is the best friend the republican party has in congress.
AOC has already shown that she can push pelosi around.
With her at the helm a republican majority in two years is virtually guaranteed.
So even now “let them eat cake” still doesn’t work.
Nancy, it’s time for you to go off to “the home”.
If the Speaker needs 218 votes, and Pelosi isn’t going to get them, then who will? Or does the House operate without a Speaker for a while?
Most likely, the Democrats would eventually settle on some poor sap who just happens to be least unacceptable to all of the sub-caucus groups, and that person would be stuck with the responsibility of trying to operate the House, and the ignominy of losing the House majority in 2022 (so that the sub-caucus leaders don’t have to take the blame).
McCarthy’s comments seem semi-delusional. No Dems will support a Republican. Just uttering those words suggests he’s not serious. And while he can make a math statement about Pelosi being a few votes short on the Speakership, there is no other Dem who could command the votes to get close. So this is just a game of posturing.
If the GOP can’t flip the House the best thing they could do in that scenario is ensure Nancy stays as House Speaker.
They should vote for her.
She’s incompetent. She does more damage to the Democrat party than she does to the Republicans.
And making her speaker would enrage the squad types and cause constant infighting. Something else that would benefit Republicans in the House.
Nancy is also a national figure and the Republicans as a whole can run against her in addition to their own local opponents.
2022 will be here faster than we all think. We can take the House.
The GOP should have nationalized the election for the House and Senate. What a fail.