Kevin McCarthy has just been ousted from his position as Speaker of the House after an effort by hard-right House Republicans led to a historic removal, the first of its kind to date.
So, what could this mean, considering a pivotal seat in Congress is up for grabs, and both parties are scrambling to appoint a new House Speaker?
Well, Democrats believe that Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has a solid shot at the title.
For some background, McCarthy was already facing intense scrutiny and criticism from his fellow GOP congressmen, especially hardline conservatives who worked to undermine his agenda, which reportedly wasn’t aligned with the party at large.
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Donald Trump loyalists like Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene gave him a hard time for not taking measures that would impede the proceedings of Trump’s various criminal indictments, support efforts to fund the war in Ukraine, or even support articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden. They deemed his oversight of the legislation needed to keep the federal government open as shaky after working with House Democrats.
Gaetz introduced the motion to vacate his seat, which was met with a 216-210 vote, making McCarthy the first-ever House Speaker to be dismissed from his post in the middle of a term.
House Democrats signaled their support for the removal effort early on, according to a letter written by House Minority Leader Jeffries, detailing their overwhelming dissatisfaction with McCarthy’s work as Speaker:
Now, Democrats are moving to make Jeffries speaker of the House, which is quickly gaining support…
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