Peter Schorsch
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
The road to Speaker of the House runs through Florida.
For the third day in a row, the new Republican majority’s internecine war has resulted in a stalemate. While most of the party is lining up behind California U.S. Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy, he is still several votes shy of the necessary 218 votes.
(Note: All House members currently bear the title of “Rep.-elect” until a new Speaker is chosen, and members are sworn in).
You can blame — or praise, maybe — the Florida delegation for the drama.
U.S. Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz is leading the charge for the Never Kevins, vowing that he was ready to vote all night, all week, all month, and never for that person.”
Notably, he nominated former President Donald Trump for the job during the seventh round of voting. There is no rule that requires the Speaker to be an elected Representative.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep.-elect Byron Donalds continues to be the go-to protest nominee. He peaked at 20 votes and continued to score in the high teens on Thursday through multiple rounds of voting.
That places him in a distant third place behind McCarthy and U.S. Rep.-elect Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Leader.
It’s unclear how long the leadership battle will continue. It marks the first time in 100 years a Speaker hasn’t been elected on the first ballot. It’s not the longest delay, however. In 1851, it took two months and 133 votes to name a Speaker.
Evening Reads
—“No tears for Kevin McCarthy” via David Frum of The Atlantic
—“Byron Donalds continues as protest nominee amid negotiations with McCarthy” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—“Matt Gaetz votes for Donald Trump for House Speaker” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—“Policy demands, personal animus and more: Meet the McCarthy resistance” via Colby Itkowitz and Dylan Wells
—“McCarthy compromises boost odds in House Speaker vote” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”’Don’t Say Gay’: Florida schools purge library books with LGBTQ characters” via Judd Legum of Popular Information
—“Claims slow, but bonuses flow at UPC” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics
—“Jan. 6 committee experiment found TikTok went from zero to Nazi in 75 minutes” via Adam Rawnsley of Rolling Stone
—“They built the wall. Now some in Texas fear it may fall down.” via J. David Goodman of The New York Times
—“Prison or mercy? A Jan. 6 rioter weighs his sins and confronts his fate.” via Greg Jaffe of The Washington Post
—“‘Avatar’ offers Disney a simple lesson about film franchises” via Kaare Eriksen of Variety
Quote of the Day
“He’s not John Boehner. He didn’t throw you all that disagreed with him out on your cans and say, ‘I don’t want to hear from you.’”
— U.S. Rep.-elect Brian Mast, nominating Kevin McCarthy for Speaker.
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