Days away from selecting a new speaker of the House, Republicans are locked in an increasingly personal battle for power, as former allies snipe at one another even as they promise to reform their fractured party — and institution.
California Rep. Kevin McCarthy is facing a new challenge from his former ally Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who is criticizing the majority leader in sharp terms. Chaffetz says McCarthy can't get the 218 votes on the floor needed to become speaker, while McCarthy allies privately bash the Utah Republican as woefully unprepared to lead the House Republican Conference.
At the same time, McCarthy is privately planning for a more inclusive leadership structure that incorporates more input from all groups within the conference, including the House Freedom Caucus.
But meanwhile, in a nod to the ongoing war for control of the House GOP, Speaker John Boehner is considering delaying the election for majority leader and whip, a blow to Reps. Steve Scalise (La.) and Tom Price (Ga.), but a boon to conservatives who are looking to run a candidate against the pair of Southerners. It would also aid members seeking to change the Republican Conference rules to force candidates to resign other leadership posts and chairmanships while they run for new posts. Those changes would be debated before the election.
For now, the closed, secret ballot Republican leadership elections are officially scheduled for Thursday. And the race for speaker and House majority leader are far from settled.
Mollifying the loud conservative faction within the Republican Conference is the overwhelming theme of this marathon election. McCarthy, the front-runner for speaker, has begun to devise plans to decentralize power away from the leadership. The 50-year old California Republican has reached out to groups like the Freedom Caucus to institute a weekly gathering of leaders of the various House caucuses to devise the party’s legislative strategy, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/house-republicans-boehner-mccarthy-chaffetz-price-scalise-214414
