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Valley Republicans Have McCarthy's Back in Battle for the Gavel
David Taub Website photo 2024
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 3 years ago on
December 30, 2022

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Kevin McCarthy has the full support of the GOP Central Valley delegation in his quest to become Speaker of the House.

Starting on Tuesday at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, the 118th Congress convenes at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The first order of business, before members are ceremonially sworn in, is to select the Speaker.

If he wins the battle for the gavel, McCarthy would become the first Speaker from the San Joaquin Valley — and just the second from California — in the 234-year history of Congress. As Speaker, he would be well-positioned to help the Valley address its many challenges.

There has been much speculation about whether McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, will ascend to the spot held now by Democrat Nancy Pelosi. He has been Minority Leader since 2019, the top leadership post in the Republican caucus.

McCarthy also eyed the Speaker’s post in 2015 but stepped aside when it became apparent he didn’t have sufficient support to prevail.

McCarthy Must Overcome Far-Right Resistance

While it has been presumed that McCarthy would become Speaker, a handful of Republicans aren’t on board with his candidacy. Most of his GOP detractors are aligned with the Freedom Caucus.

They say he isn’t “conservative enough.” And, they want reinstatement of an old House rule allowing any lawmaker to file a motion to “vacate the chair” — essentially allowing a floor vote to boot the Speaker from office.

McCarthy doesn’t have these challenges with House Republicans representing the Central Valley. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and freshman John Duarte, R-Modesto, have publicly declared support for McCarthy.

Nathan Rakich of FiveThirtyEight reported that Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, will also support McCarthy.

The small but vocal opposition to McCarthy has fueled a counter-offensive by his supporters. For example, Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, has taken to wearing an “O.K.” button on his lapel — meaning “Only Kevin.”

Costa Will Back Jeffries

On the other side of the aisle, Fresno Democrat Jim Costa plans to vote for Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York.

“He and Jeffries have spoken about the needs in the Valley, including water, ag, transportation, and health care, and Jim has invited him to visit the Valley,” said Costa’s district representative,  Kathy Mahan.

After Democrats lost control of the House in the November elections, Pelosi, D-San Francisco, announced she would step down from her leadership post on Tuesday.

Speaker Needs Majority, but Not Necessarily 218

The new House lineup has 222 Republicans, and 212 Democrats (one seat is vacant after the death of Rep. Donald McEachin, D-Virginia). A majority would be 218, meaning McCarthy could afford to lose four votes.

However, the majority is calculated by those actually voting for a nominee.

Thus the majority is reduced if a member votes “present.” In 2021, Pelosi received 216 votes, with six members voting “present” or not voting. In theory, McCarthy could lose nine GOP votes if they voted “present.” That would drop him down to 213. As long as it is one more than the Democrats’ choice — presumably Jeffries — McCarthy would be Speaker.

The House continues to vote on a Speaker until a majority is achieved. The vote is taken with each member voicing their choice one at a time. In 2021, the process took more than two hours to record the votes.

A second vote for Speaker has not happened since 1923. That year required nine attempts to elect Massachusetts Republican Frederick Huntington Gillett.

The all-time record for Speaker votes — 133 in 1855 — came in the run-up to the Civil War. It took two months of voting.

A great overview of the ins and outs of Speaker elections can be found here.

The complete list of Speakers is at this link.

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David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

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