Kevin McCarthy to become speaker dragged on for a second day as Republican foes kept him from getting close to a majority of votes in another round of voting.
Even a last-minute plea from former president Donald Trump for Republicans to unify around McCarthy (Calif.) failed to sway 21 Republicans.
Instead, 20 backed a new alternative, Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, 44, a Black Republican who has represented a Florida district since 2021.
One member, Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), voted present.
Rep.-elect Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said the 20 members of his party conference who have refused to vote for Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for speaker after four founds of voting over two days are wasting their efforts fighting Republicans instead of Democrats.
“They want to pull the pins on the grenades and lock the doors,” Crenshaw, a former military veteran who was injured in combat, said of the defectors.
“They need to be men and adults and say what they want, instead of playing these little games,” Crenshaw said. “Some of them are my friends. Stop saying platitudes like, ‘Washington is broken. We can’t do the status quo.’ I’m tired of your stupid platitudes that some that some consultant told you to say on the campaign trail, all right.”
The standoff says a lot about the Republican Party, which asks Americans to empower it to govern without being able to effectively govern itself.
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