The Civil War for Speaker of the House

What’s happening: For the first time in 100 years, the House failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) failed to get enough votes yesterday. Nineteen Republicans voted for other candidates, including Rep. Andy Biggs with ten votes and Rep. Jim Jordan with six votes.

Who’s stopping him? About 20 Republicans are refusing to vote for McCarthy, including Reps. Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs, and Chip Roy. Some are from the Tea Party era, some are Trump loyalists, and others are newcomers upset with the status quo. They feel he has failed to combat the military-industrial complex, the FBI’s corruption, and Big Tech’s censorship.

Who supports him? Commentators like Ben Shapiro and even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the recent deadlock and strategy against McCarthy because of the lack of a better alternative. Former President Donald Trump also just released a statement in support of McCarthy after his failure.

What happens next? It doesn’t look like there are any other viable candidates for the House speaker. McCarthy will likely continue to make more concessions to get the votes needed but could be replaced if unsuccessful.