Conservatives to back Daniel Webster over Kevin McCarthy for House speaker
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of about 40 anti-establishment conservatives, announced Wednesday that they are endorsing Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Florida, to serve as the next speaker of the House.
The House Republican conference will vote by secret ballot on Thursday to nominate its candidate for speaker. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California -- currently No. 2 in the House -- is likely to emerge as the nominee, even without the support of the Freedom Caucus.
However, McCarthy will need the support of at least some Freedom Caucus members when the full House of Representatives votes for the new speaker on October 29. A candidate will need at least 218 votes to be elected speaker, and there are 247 Republicans in the House. This means the conservative bloc will have a full month to pressure McCarthy to prove his conservative bonafides before the October 29 vote.
In a statement, the Freedom Caucus said Wednesday that their constituents "will simply not accept a continuation of the status quo."
"We accordingly believe that, under the present circumstances and without significant changes to Conference leadership and process, Rep. Daniel Webster would be best equipped to earn back the trust of the American people as Speaker of the House."
Along with Webster and McCarthy, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is also running for speaker.
As part of the House GOP's leadership team, McCarthy already had a strike against him with anti-establishment conservatives. However, he came under further scrutiny recently when he suggested in a televised interview that the House Republicans' Benghazi investigation is politically-motivated. McCarthy on Wednesday acknowledged that his comments about the Benghazi investigation were a mistake, but he insisted he could effectively serve as the most public face of the House GOP.