McCarthy Says GOP Opponents of His House Speaker Bid Have Not Budged

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) warned that the Republicans opposing his speakership bid have not budged, accusing the group of placing the party’s ability to govern the next Congress “in jeopardy.”

McCarthy, who currently lacks the 218 votes necessary to secure the speaker’s gavel next month, appeared to raise the stakes regarding what could happen if the five GOP lawmakers who oppose him as party leader refuse to change their minds while appearing on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show Friday. The top ranking House Republican won the speaker nomination with nearly 85% support from his conference in a closed-door vote last month. He has since secured 26 of the 31 no votes, but the five defections leave him one vote short of the 218 necessary, as Republicans only hold a four-seat majority in the next Congress.

MCCARTHY BACKERS WEAR SUPPORT ON THEIR SLEEVES, SPORT ‘ONLY KEVIN’ PINS

Asked about those five GOP lawmakers: former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Bob Good (R-VA), and Ralph Norman (R-SC), and the status of negotiations with them, McCarthy said, “Well, we’re still continuing to talk, but they have not moved.”

“And the difficulty here is that, you know, we are the only Republican entity stopping the Biden administration, but we’re also going to be the only ones that can move forward,” he continued. “But it would delay everything, getting committees up and running, being able to do the things that you know we need to get done from the very beginning.”

Hewitt, a longtime conservative radio host, noted his belief that the defections were not only holding up the ability for Republicans to begin their work in the majority, but also the ability for the party to recruit 2024 House candidates.

“It’s not only delaying that, it’s being prepared to not only defend the majority, but grow the majority. You want to take advantage of having the majority,” McCarthy replied, agreeing with Hewitt. “Remember, this is a presidential year, so you only have so many months to really get out there and govern. And you want to hit the ground running. Every day you lose, if you lose a quarter, you don’t start strong.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“So you don’t get new, stronger candidates. You don’t get more resources to be able to supply those candidates to get the message out. And people look at us and believe are you ready to be the majority if this is what’s happening?” he added. “How can you pass the big bills? How can you change the course of history? How can you secure the border? How can you become energy independent? How can you get passed the parent’s bill of rights? It’s all in jeopardy.”

As the interview came to a close, McCarthy expressed confidence that the defectors would stand down “in the end.”