January 4, 2023 8:40am EST
AOC floats 'coalition government' after McCarthy fails to win House speaker vote
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggests unlikely resolution to Republican House speaker fight: McCarthy negotiating with Democrats
By Chris Pandolfo | Fox News
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. floated a possible "coalition government" in the House of Representatives Tuesday after Republicans failed to elect a new speaker of the House.
Ocasio-Cortez, a far-left progressive, raised the possibility that Republican leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., may have to enter into negotiations with Democrats after he failed to win the majority vote needed to become speaker.
"I do not believe that Kevin McCarthy has the votes. I believe that a lot of the opposition to him is very personal. I believe his leadership style is incompatible with a lot of Republican members and certainly the Democratic Caucus." Ocasio-Cortez said on MSNBC Tuesday night.
"So the question is, is there anyone in their caucus that can build that consensus? If there isn't, McCarthy's team may have to come to the Democratic Party? And, if that's the case, then what would that even look like. It's rather unprecedented? Could it result in a potential coalition government?" Ocasio-Cortez asked.
"Could we get Democratic chairs of committees as a result?" she wondered aloud.
In her scenario, McCarthy would approach Democrats to gain the 20 or so votes he needs to become speaker. In return, Democrats would extract major concessions from him, likely ensuring that their members remain in charge of powerful and influential House committees. Ocasio-Cortez was clear this is unlikely to happen.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-floats-coalition-government-mccarthy-fails-win-house-speaker-vote
