Debacle in the House of Representatives: McCarthy not elected for the fifth time Hollywood star Jeremy Renner reports from hospital after a serious accident

Republican Kevin McCarthy continued his streak of defeats in the power struggle for the highest office in the US House of Representatives. The House of Representatives went ahead with the election of the president of the Congressional Chamber on Wednesday, but McCarthy also failed to win on the fourth and fifth ballots. Initially, there was no solution in sight to the deadlock that had plunged Congress into chaos. A call from ex-President Donald Trump to his fellow party members to end the drama and vote for McCarthy was ignored. US President Joe Biden called the election debacle “shameful”.

On Tuesday, McCarthy had already missed the required majority three times in the election of the Speaker of Parliament, as several party members refused to support him. For the 57-year-old, this is a historic defeat and a public notoriety. It is the first time in a hundred years that it took more than one election attempt and that a parliamentary group failed to elect its candidate in the first round.

On Wednesday, Trump intervened and called on his party colleagues to avoid losing face and elect McCarthy to the top post. Speaking on the social media platform Truth Social, which he co-founded, the ex-president wrote, “We had some really good conversations last night and now it’s time for all of our major Republicans to vote for Kevin.” He appealed to his fellow party members: “Don’t turn a great triumph into a huge and embarrassing defeat.” McCarthy will do well, “and maybe even great.”

Trump had already expressed his support for McCarthy before the election, but that did not stop the campaign against him. Even his renewed appeal failed to impress the party’s internal rebels, another sign of Trump’s waning influence within the Republican Party.

20 renegade Republicans

Also on Wednesday, 20 Republicans refused to support fellow party member McCarthy in several other ballots. So there was no movement at all. Republican MP Chip Roy sent fellow party member Byron Donalds into the race, behind whom McCarthy’s opponents rallied. In addition, one Republican representative abstained from voting. McCarthy lost an extra vote. As early as Tuesday, the anti-McCarthy camp put forward several alternative candidates – as a sign of their defiance.

Biden criticized the Republican election drama in the Congressional chamber. “It’s not my problem. I’m just a little embarrassed that it’s taking so long,” the president said in Washington. The rest of the world is watching. “I’m focused on getting things done,” the Democrat said. During a visit to the state of Kentucky afterward, Biden conspicuously stressed the need for bipartisan cooperation and embodied close ties to Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who lives in Kentucky and attended Biden’s visit.

Blocked House of Representatives

After parliamentary elections in November, Congress met for the first time in a new configuration on Tuesday. The Republicans took power in the House of Representatives – in the Senate, Biden’s Democrats still have a narrow majority. Biden will therefore depend more than before on cooperation with the Republicans in the coming years, as they can block legislative projects at will with their majority in the House of Representatives. However, it is unclear whether there will even be a common line between them, given the complete internal disorganization.

Given the election debacle, nothing is going on in the House of Representatives for the time being. Until there is clarity about the presidency, the Chamber of Congress cannot begin its work, not even the new MPs can be sworn in.

McCarthy could possibly try to initiate negotiations with the Democrats. They could help him win the election, for example by abstaining in their ranks, because then fewer votes would be needed. It could also be possible that a new candidate will be put forward that a majority of Republicans agree with. But talks with Democrats about a consensus candidate they would support would also be conceivable. A way out was initially unclear. (sda/dpa)