{"id":24893,"date":"2022-11-28T17:18:18","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T17:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:59:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:59:42","slug":"mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/","title":{"rendered":"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Republican leader Kevin McCarthy<\/a> is in the fight of his political life, grinding through the promises and proposals, cajoling and deal-making necessary to win over reluctant colleagues whose support he needs to become House speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every new commitment from McCarthy can be seen as a potentially strategic move, intended to quell skeptics on his right flank as he reaches for the speaker\u2019s gavel. With a slim House majority in the midterm elections<\/a>, the GOP leader must solidify his ranks in a sprint for the 218 votes he\u2019ll need when the new Congress convenes \u2014 each coming at a cost and with no room for error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get there,\u201d McCarthy said in accepting his party\u2019s nomination to run for speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overtures McCarthy is making, some symbolic, others substantive, provide a snapshot of the speaker hopeful\u2019s emerging leadership style. While McCarthy is expected to prevail in his quest for the speaker\u2019s gavel, it is destined to come at a political price, setting the tone and tenor of new Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To start, McCarthy has promised to restore committee assignments for far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.,<\/a> after she and another right-flank lawmaker were booted by Democrats over incendiary remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he has vowed to oust Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and other high-profile Democrats from their committees in a form of political payback, setting up a divisive House action early in the new Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCarthy has assured that under his leadership, the House will remove the metal detectors that were installed to prevent firearms in the House chamber; end COVID-era protocols that allowed lawmakers to vote by proxy; and fully reopen the Capitol\u2019s limited visitor access since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection by supporters of the former president, Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in a dramatic nod to the far-right, McCarthy has threatened an impeachment investigation against<\/a> Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas<\/a> unless he resigns over the department\u2019s handling of the U.S.\u2019s southern border with Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMcCarthy\u2019s problem is, he can\u2019t get to 218 without Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar and Matt Gaetz,\u201d Schiff said Sunday on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union,\u201d referring to the House GOP\u2019s most outspoken far-right members. \u201cAnd so he will do whatever they ask.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge ahead for McCarthy is not unique, as he races to shore up support before the new Congress convenes in January. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.,<\/a> faced detractors during her own pursuit of the gavel, forced to skillfully pick off the naysayers one by one until she had secured backing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the problem McCarthy faces is distinctly Republican, one that almost doomed his most recent predecessors. Paul Ryan and John Boehner both suffered politically as they were pushed and prodded by the GOP\u2019s increasingly far-right flank to make concessions for their support. Eventually both men won the speaker\u2019s gavel, but ultimately retired early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After pushing his party to victory in the midterm elections, McCarthy won the nod from a majority of his colleagues nominating him to run for speaker. But the 188-31 vote among Republicans showed the shortfall he must overcome. When the new Congress convenes in January, the whole House, Republicans and Democrats, will vote on speaker and McCarthy\u2019s party will need to stick together with their slim majority for him to prevail. Otherwise, a different Republican could emerge as a compromise candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tall order,\u201d said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a past chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who waged a long-shot challenge to McCarthy for the nomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know he thinks he\u2019s going to get there,\u201d Biggs said. \u201cI don\u2019t know that he can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though McCarthy defeated Biggs, 188-31, in the closed-door voting, with another five Republicans casting ballots for other candidates, that\u2019s a pool of some three dozen votes the GOP leader needs to claw back if he hopes to win the speaker\u2019s job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey know they\u2019ve got a problem,\u201d said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., another Freedom Caucus member. \u201cIn other words, 36 no votes is a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the party leader, McCarthy has countless tools at his disposal, including favors he can dole out to win support \u2014 from prime committee assignments or newly created leadership roles to commitments to elevate lawmakers\u2019 own priorities, including investigations of President Joe Biden, his family and his administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The influential Freedom Caucus has long wanted more say in the legislative process \u2014 rather than a top-down approach \u2014 and its members are pushing McCarthy with more specific demands that would give them more power even at McCarthy\u2019s expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m hopeful at the end of the day that we will come together as a conference and elect Kevin,\u201d Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the incoming chairman of the Oversight Committee, said on NBC\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comer said there are \u201ccertainly five to eight members that have said they\u2019re leaning towards voting no against Kevin McCarthy.\u201d Opposition of that magnitude would derail McCarthy\u2019s bid to become speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The California Republican has been here before, having withdrawn from the speaker\u2019s race in 2015 when it became clear he did not have enough support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To win over skeptics, McCarthy has been meeting with Republicans as they hammer out their internal party rules for the new Congress. While such rules generally don\u2019t have much relevance for the public, they play an important role behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, some conservatives want McCarthy to impose a ban on earmarks, which allow lawmakers to direct federal dollars to local projects and programs in their home states, a legislative perk long derided as wasteful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others want McCarthy to enforce a balanced federal budget in future years, which would require vast spending cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the more conservative members of the House want to restore a rule that allows any member at any time to submit a motion to remove the speaker, which had been used by then-Rep. Mark Meadows as a pressure point during Boehner\u2019s tenure. Instead, they adopted a provision stating that submitting such a \u201cmotion to vacate the chair\u201d should only be done with party agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCarthy exited one private meeting calling it \u201ca great discussion.\u201d He indicated it\u2019s the beginning of a long process over the next weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if this is winning them over,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s discussing and listening to them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a slim House majority in the midterm elections, the GOP leader must solidify his ranks for the 218 votes he\u2019ll need when the new Congress convenes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":74121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":38,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[38,31,9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2830],"class_list":["post-24893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-home","category-federal-oversight"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"PXLCGGZNORFEHCYMZKICZSSN7I","arc_canonical_url":"\/federal-oversight\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nMcCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost - Federal Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With a slim House majority in the midterm elections, the GOP leader must solidify his ranks for the 218 votes he\u2019ll need when the new Congress convenes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With a slim House majority in the midterm elections, the GOP leader must solidify his ranks for the 218 votes he\u2019ll need when the new Congress convenes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Federal Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-28T17:18:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T04:59:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-11-28T17:18:18+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T04:59:42+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 1079,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1198477830.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Congress\",\n\t \"Home\",\n\t \"Oversight\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost - Federal Times\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1198477830.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-11-28T17:18:18+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T04:59:42+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"With a slim House majority in the midterm elections, the GOP leader must solidify his ranks for the 218 votes he\u2019ll need when the new Congress convenes.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1198477830.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1198477830.jpg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/28\\\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Congress\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"congress\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t \"description\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Federal Times\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost - Federal Times","description":"With a slim House majority in the midterm elections, the GOP leader must solidify his ranks for the 218 votes he\u2019ll need when the new Congress convenes.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost","og_description":"With a slim House majority in the midterm elections, the GOP leader must solidify his ranks for the 218 votes he\u2019ll need when the new Congress convenes.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/","og_site_name":"Federal Times","article_published_time":"2022-11-28T17:18:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T04:59:42+00:00","author":"Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost","datePublished":"2022-11-28T17:18:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T04:59:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/"},"wordCount":1079,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1198477830.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Congress","Home","Oversight"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/","name":"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost - Federal Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1198477830.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2022-11-28T17:18:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T04:59:42+00:00","description":"With a slim House majority in the midterm elections, the GOP leader must solidify his ranks for the 218 votes he\u2019ll need when the new Congress convenes.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1198477830.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1198477830.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/28\/mccarthy-pursuit-of-speakers-gavel-comes-at-high-cost\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Congress","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/","ad_zone":"congress"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"McCarthy pursuit of speaker\u2019s gavel comes at high cost"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","name":"Federal Times","description":"Federal Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization","name":"Federal Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","caption":"Federal Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Federal Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1198477830.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24897,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24893\/revisions\/24897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24893"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=24893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}