Of the 25 Republicans in Texas’ delegation to the United States House of Representatives, only three opposed the election of Kevin McCarthy to the speakership. Those three supported a more conservative nominee.
U.S. Reps. Michael Cloud, Chip Roy, and Keith Self cast their votes for other candidates, like Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Jim Jordan (R-OH).
While Biggs was widely supported by conservative activists, McCarthy was favored by the beltway GOP insiders. But with 19 Republican defectors, McCarthy was denied an outright victory on the floor of the U.S. House in the first ballot. While McCarthy secured a plurality, a speaker nominee must receive a majority vote.
“It is not an easy thing to do battle with the establishment uniparty,” explained Wade Miller, the executive director of the Center for Renewing America. “The 19 who voted against McCarthy will surely face a backlash from the people and entities that stand to gain from uniparty control in DC. These 19 deserve your applause and public support.”
In a statement, Rep. Cloud said he took his voted because “Congress is broken.” He added he wanted the Republicans to “chart a course away from the status quo, put us on a path toward fiscal responsibility, and form a Congress in which the elected Representatives would truly be able to work on behalf of the American people.”
The last time a U.S. House speaker was not elected on the first ballot was in 1923.
Reportedly, McCarthy was asked to commit – in exchange for conservative support – to allow House floor votes on a balanced budget, the Fair Tax, the Texas Border Plan, and term limits for Congress. He refused.
Rep. Roy posted to social media: “Our demands are simple: we want the tools to put a check [on] the swamp.”
The Texas Republicans supporting McCarthy on the first ballot were Jodey Arrington, Brian Babin, Michael C. Burgess, John Carter, Dan Crenshaw, Monica De La Cruz, Jake Ellzey, Pat Fallon, Tony Gonzales, Lance Gooden, Kay Granger, Wesley Hunt, Ronny Jackson, Morgan Luttrell, Michael McCaul, Nathaniel Moran, Troy Nehls, August Pfluger, Pete Sessions, Beth Van Duyne, Randy Weber, and Roger Williams.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
