The grueling fight to elect Kevin McCarthy as House speaker came to a close on Saturday after the California Republican made several concessions to the GOP’s ultra-right faction. Despite a win in hand, McCarthy’s efforts to secure the speaker’s gavel have weakened his authority, diminished his power, and emboldened the party’s ultraconservative sect, which could create dysfunction and chaos as he tries to lead a party with deep fissures.
McCarthy agreed to several demands from GOP hardliners in the run-up to his appointment, including a rules change that would allow just one member to call for a vote to oust the House speaker and another that would allow caucus members to serve on the House Rules Committee. The attempts to mollify a small but vocal faction have drawn concern and criticism from McCarthy’s GOP peers. “For the House to function, the Speaker has to have authority, and this demonstrates the next Speaker, whoever it is, doesn’t have the authority to manage the House,” an anonymous GOP senator told the Hill.
