Why Conservatives Are Blocking McCarthy as Speaker — and Throwing Congress Into Chaos
- McCarthy faces battle to convince dissenters to join him
- Speaker fight extends into second day with no clear resolution
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The House is at a standstill with Republicans deadlocked in a battle to elect a speaker that heads into its second day with Representative Kevin McCarthy fighting a faction of 20 conservative, anti-establishment lawmakers who say the California Republican hasn’t done enough to win their votes.
The spat has turned ugly with both sides taking personal shots. McCarthy, a longtime member of House leadership, and his allies met late Tuesday to try to resolve the impasse, with little success. In the face of united Democratic opposition, McCarthy needs all but four of those dissenters to win the speakership.