Conservative Voices Rally Around McCarthy for Speaker

Conservative media members have joined the House Republicans backing Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to become the next speaker.

McCarthy is vying to become speaker when the GOP officially takes the chamber's majority in the new Congress.

Five conservative members of the House Republican conference have said or indicated they oppose McCarthy's bid. However, other conservatives, such as Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have said they support the leader.

Now, conservative media voices also are supporting McCarthy, Axios reported Monday.

Radio host Mark Levin spoke out against the "five boneheads" threatening to derail McCarthy's bid for the speaker's gavel.

Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Bob Good, R-Va., Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., are the lawmakers who have come out against McCarthy.

"But there's another reason the House Republicans have yet to vote for their leaders," Levin said on his show last week. "They've yet to do it because of five boneheads in the House of Representatives who are Republicans, who have no alternative candidate who can get anything close to a majority, nothing close to majority and are playing right into the hands of [Senate Democrat Leader Chuck] Schumer … [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell, right into the hands of [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and the Democrats."

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk tweeted that, "The freedom caucus should be pushing for concessions out of McCarthy, not throwing the speakership to Dems."

Will Chamberlain, the publisher of Human Events tweeted: "@RepAndyBiggsAZ and the rest of the holdouts really need to stop playing chicken with the future of the House majority."

Human Events senior editor Jack Posobiec tweeted, "Are there seriously people saying it's ok to hand veto power over subpoenas to the Democrats in attempt to stop Kevin McCarthy?"

Mike Cernovich, who has more than 1 million Twitter followers, and Breitbart's Matt Boyle also have expressed support for McCarthy, who won the House Republicans' vote 188-31.

The leader, though, must be approved by the entire chamber – and he cannot afford 31 GOP members to be against him in the Jan. 3 vote.

Despite some Republicans being against McCarthy for speaker, there's not a clear alternative, as Jordan and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., have both been in support of the leader.

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