January 03, 2023 11:00 AM UTC

Boebert Helps Foil Kevin McCarthy's Hopes of First Ballot Victory

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #9: Rep. Ken Buck, who was good enough to show up to work today, warns after three failed ballots that Kevin McCarthy is more likely to lose support in successive rounds of voting than turn things around:

A warning sign for Kevin McCarthy: Conservative supporter Rep. Ken Buck told us he believes that it is McCarthy who will eventually lose more backing if this drags out. He has been talking to fellow Freedom Caucus members but doesn’t believe they will be moving.

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 3, 2023

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UPDATE #8: Rep. Joe Neguse revels in the schadenfreude as Kevin McCarthy loses a third round of balloting, with Rep. Lauren Boebert and the “Never Kevins” seeing no reason whatsoever to budge:

rofl, he lost again. pic.twitter.com/DqX4IilqWd

— Oliver Willis (@owillis) January 3, 2023

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UPDATE #7: For round three, Rep. Steve Scalise nominated Kevin McCarthy. Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert still voted again for Jim Jordan.

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UPDATE #6: Via The Washington Post, here are the Republican opponents of McCarthy:

Meanwhile, McCarthy is reportedly playing a game of “chicken” with his opponents to see which side will fold first. We can’t see Rep. Lauren Boebert changing her mind — it’s too much fun for her to be on this list.

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UPDATE #5: There will be a THIRD vote for House Speaker. Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert is among those who voted for Rep. Jim Jordan instead of Kevin McCarthy.

Another #FAIL for Kevin McCarthy. Lauren Boebert votes for Gym Jordan. #copolitics #housespeaker pic.twitter.com/v76SvhyuwA

— Jason Bane (@jason_bane) January 3, 2023

This is shaping up to be a loooonnggg day.

We just spoke w/ Rep Bob Good (R-VA), who says block of GOP members who opposed McCarthy on Speaker vote will never back down. He says they want “reluctant warrior” to be Speaker. Good predicts Jim Jordan will gain votes on 2nd ballot. And says McCarthy should pull out of race

— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) January 3, 2023

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UPDATE #4:  Kevin McCarthy will lose the first ballot for Speaker of the House, the first such humiliation for an incoming majority in exactly 100 years.

McCarthy just got fewer votes for Speaker than he did 2 years ago, with Rs in the minority, @jaketapper points out.

— Ramesh Ponnuru (@RameshPonnuru) January 3, 2023

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UPDATE #3: Declaring that Kevin McCarthy is “taking the path of Nancy Pelosi” (whatever that means), Rep. Lauren Boebert casts her vote for Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Lauren Boebert said Rep. Kevin McCarthy was “taking the path of Nancy Pelosi and following her precedence with the motion to vacate” during the U.S. House Republican Conference Meeting Stakeout. pic.twitter.com/JAouWvxDqD

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 3, 2023

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UPDATE #2: Looks like Colorado Rep. Ken Buck is throwing in with the nutball caucus. Here he is sitting with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz earlier today:

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UPDATE: As expected, the new Republican “majority” in Congress is off to a bad start.

This headline from The Atlantic got us thinking about a poll idea, so please weigh in below.

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As Colorado Public Radio’s Caitlyn Kim reports today from Washington, the fateful day for Republican U.S. House Leader Kevin McCarthy has arrived:

What should be a big day for Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives may have an inauspicious start as one big question still looms over today’s start of the 118th Congress: Who will be the next Speaker of the House?

House Republicans hold a slim majority in the chamber with 222 members, and GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy will need to secure the support of 218 of them to get the speakership. At least five Republicans have said publicly that they will not vote for McCarthy.

As of now, two Colorado Republicans aren’t publicly backing McCarthy either. U.S. Reps. Ken Buck and Lauren Boebert did not vote for McCarthy during the caucus’ nomination process last fall, where 188 of their colleagues voted for McCarthy…

If McCarthy doesn’t get the gavel after the first vote, it will move into multiple votes. More importantly, the focus will be on a party in disarray not the work Republicans promised to take up during the congressional session.

Yesterday, Colorado’s hard-liner Rep. Lauren Boebert met with McCarthy along with fellow Rep. Matt “Giggity” Gaetz to lay out her terms for supporting McCarthy’s bid for speaker, which we had previously understood most importantly including the ability of any Republican member to ask for a “motion to vacate the chair,” or get rid of a Speaker they don’t like. McCarthy has reportedly granted this major concession that would leave his power at the whim of any disgruntled Republican member, but even this doesn’t seem to have placated Boebert:

Things getting heated in House GOP meeting.

McCarthy swore in his speech, dropping a “god damnit.” And he made clear he would negotiate no more. McCarthy also said opponents came to him with “personal asks” last night.

Lauren boebert yelled in response to speech: “BULL SHIT”

— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) January 3, 2023

As you can see, Boebert’s vow to “take down the temperature” in Washington is going extremely well! If Boebert is a “no” on McCarthy it means McCarthy’s vote count is going the wrong direction with no margin to spare–and that means we’re in for a rollercoaster of a day couple of years. This is a House out of control before even gaveling in.

We’ll update as developments warrant, which they will.