Speaker battle highlights GOP tensions

Party tensions were on full display Tuesday as GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) pushed hard to shore up support for his Speaker bid from a group of reticent Republicans.

McCarthy failed to secure enough votes for Speaker as the voting entered multiple rounds, setting up a pitched battle for the top House spot. It’s the first time in 100 years the House has been forced into multiple votes for Speaker.

• The GOP leader could only afford four defections and still secure the 218 votes needed to clinch the Speaker’s gavel.
  
• In the first round, more than a dozen Republicans bucked McCarthy and voted for another colleague. In the second round, 19 declined to back McCarthy. 
  
• Democrats, for their part, stayed united in lining up behind incoming Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.).

STATE OF PLAY: McCarthy has the backing of former President Trump but several members of the far-right wing of the party repeatedly refused to give their blessing — exposing the revolt during the tense vote for Speaker on the House floor Tuesday.

As expected, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) launched a long-shot campaign for Speaker in the first round of voting. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) was nominated by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) in the second round even though Jordan had already spoken in favor of McCarthy.

During a floor speech in which he referenced McCarthy three times by name, Jordan spoke of Republican priorities for the coming term, while acknowledging that he hasn’t always agreed with McCarthy on some issues.

“We had better come together and fight for key [priorities],” he said. “That’s what the people want us to do, and I think Kevin McCarthy is the right guy to lead us. I really do.”

Gaetz, meanwhile, called Jordan the “most talented, hardest working member of the Republican conference.”

“Mr. Jordan said in his nomination that there are certain bills that we have to pass to fix the problems,” Gaetz said. “The challenge is the alternative has been someone voting for the very bills that have caused these problems.”

The showdown illustrated the challenges ahead for GOP leaders as they seek to wrangle members in the House. Republicans hold a narrow 222-212 seat majority to start the year.

McCarthy struck a defiant tone earlier in the day, telling colleagues he was prepared to stand through multiple rounds of voting to win the Speakership.

Happy New Year and welcome to NotedDC, looking at the politics, policy and people behind the stories in Washington. We’re The Hill’s Amée LaTour and Liz Crisp.

📨 Have a tip or something you want to share? Email us at ecrisp@digital-staging.thehill.com and alatour@digital-staging.thehill.com.

BRIEFLY

• A prominent anti-abortion group is pushing back against former President Trump’s comments about the role that abortion played in GOP losses in the November elections.
  
• A spokesperson for the family of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin says he is “fighting” after suffering cardiac arrest in the team’s “Monday Night Football” game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
  
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) took aim at the “floundering federal establishment” during his second-term inauguration speech on Tuesday while touting his own accomplishments during his first term as governor.
  
  
  

🗓 Six elections to watch in 2023

While 2023 is sandwiched between a consequential midterm cycle and a potentially wide-open presidential race, there are still several elections to watch this year.

Spanning legislative, executive and judicial races at the state and local level, the elections in the coming months stand to affect millions of Americans.

Here are six elections to watch this year:

Virginia General Assembly — Jan. 10/Nov. 7

The first significant state legislative election is next Tuesday in Virginia: A special election for Senate District 7. State Sen. Jen Kiggans (R) vacated this seat after winning election to represent Virginia’s 2nd District in the U.S. House.

In 2019, Kiggans narrowly won the state Senate seat. The stakes are high given the chamber’s narrow 21-18 Democratic majority. Democrats’ numbers are poised to at least temporarily dip following the special U.S. House election in Virginia’s 4th, which a Democratic state senator is favored to win (more on that below).

In November, control of both state legislative chambers is at stake. Republicans hold a small 51-47 majority in the House of Delegates (there are currently two vacancies). The November election will determine whether Virginia’s legislature remains under divided control and the legislature’s alignment with Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).

Virginia’s 4th District special election — Feb. 21

State Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D) and Leon Benjamin Sr. (R) are running to succeed Rep. Don McEachin (D), who died shortly after being reelected in November. McEachin defeated Benjamin by nearly 30 points.

The partisan breakdown of the House is set for 222 Republicans and 212 Democrats until the special election winner is sworn in. While the race isn’t expected to be competitive, its effect on House partisan composition could matter with such a small majority.

Chicago mayor — Feb. 28 with possible April runoff

Voters in the nation’s third-largest city will decide on their next mayor Feb. 28, with a runoff April 4 if nobody clears 50 percent of the vote next month. There are 10 candidates on the ballot (with one candidacy challenge outstanding). Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) is seeking reelection. We wrote more about this race last month.

Wisconsin Supreme Court — April 4

The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 4-3 conservative majority is at stake. Given the role of state supreme courts in everything from voting policy to redistricting to abortion policy, the election will be consequential for Wisconsinites.

Conservative Justice Patience Roggensack is retiring. At least two conservatives and two liberals are vying to succeed her. Tuesday is the filing deadline. A nonpartisan primary is on Feb. 21, and the two with the most votes go on to the April general. Local observers told WISN 12 News they expect one conservative and one liberal to advance.

Louisiana governor — Oct. 14 all-candidates primary, Nov. 18 election

Candidates of all affiliations running for Louisiana governor will be on the same ballot on Oct. 14. A candidate would win outright if they got more than 50 percent of the vote. Otherwise, the top two will advance to a Nov. 18 election.

Term-limited Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) won by almost 3 percentage points in 2019 after advancing from an initial election in which 51 percent split their votes between two Republican candidates. Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) is running, and several other names have been mentioned as potential GOP candidates, including Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and Rep. Garret Graves (La.).

The filing deadline is Aug. 10.

Kentucky governor — Nov. 7

Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is seeking reelection after beating then-incumbent Matt Bevin (R) by less than 1 percentage point in 2019.

A number of prominent Republicans have announced for the May 16 primary, including Attorney General Daniel Cameron, former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft and Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles. The filing deadline is Friday.

—–

Other 2023 elections we’ll be watching for developments throughout the year:

• State legislative elections in Louisiana, Mississippi and New Jersey
• Gubernatorial election in Mississippi (our colleague  Caroline Vakil has more on 2023’s gubernatorial races here)
• Mayoral elections in several of the nation’s largest cities, including Houston, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  
  

🟢 Capitol mostly reopens

Almost three years after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. and two years after the Jan. 6 riot, the Capitol is nearing a full reopening Tuesday.

• House and Senate office buildings and the House galleries are open to the public. Gallery visitors need to get a pass from a member’s office.
  
• Previously, an escort was required in the office buildings and in the House galleries when the House was in session. 
  
• Saturday staff-led tours are back on Jan. 7, limited to the Hall of Columns, Crypt, Rotunda and Statuary Hall. The Capitol Visitor Center is expected to fully reopen in March. 

A phased reopening process began in March 2022, two years after the Capitol closed to visitors. In addition to the pandemic, lawmaker security became a factor after the Capitol riot in January 2021.

After Republicans won a House majority in November, then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) called on U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger, House Sergeant-at-Arms William J. Walker and others to develop a plan for a full Jan. 3 reopening. 

Manger stressed the need for more Capitol Police staff throughout 2022. Manger said in a statement Monday, “Today we are clearly better off than we were before the January 6 attack.”

💰 Minimum wage increases in 23 states 

New year, new wage: Millions of workers in at least 23 states got a pay increase as they rang in the 2023.

The federal government hasn’t increased the minimum wage since it went to $7.25 an hour more than a decade ago, leaving the task to states and local governments if they want their lowest hourly paid workers to get an economic boost. 

• The non-profit Economic Policy Institute (EPI) estimates that 8.4 million workers will see their paychecks grow under minimum wage increases taking effect this week.
  
• Average annual raises for full-time workers in those states will range from $150 in Michigan to $937 in Delaware, EPI reports. 

The Congressional Budget Office has developed a tool to calculate the potential impact of a federal minimum wage hike on the government after Democratic lawmakers proposed a gradual increase of the minimum wage to $15 an hour by June 2025. The Democratic-led House approved the proposal in 2019, though it never passed the Senate.

Five states have never adopted their own minimum wage laws and rely on the federal law to set their rates. 

For 2023, Michigan has implemented a 23-cent required raise, bumping the state’s minimum to $10.10 an hour, while Nebraska has adopted a $1.50 per hour boost, raising the state’s minimum wage to $10.50.

States where the minimum wage went up as of Jan. 1: 

• Alaska 
• Arizona 
• California 
• Colorado 
• Delaware 
• Illinois 
• Maine 
• Maryland 
• Massachusetts 
• Michigan 
• Minnesota 
• Missouri 
• Montana 
• Nebraska 
• New Jersey 
• New Mexico 
• New York 
• Ohio 
• Rhode Island 
• South Dakota 
• Vermont 
• Virginia 
• Washington
  
  

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Art in the Capitol: A special report on racist depictions still in there (Washington Post)
• Mississippi GOP lawmaker strives to remove archaic, misogynistic language from state laws (Mississippi Today)
• Cost of living crisis: A rise in animals being abandoned (BBC)  
• BONUS for our “Real Housewives” fans: Ashley Darby and Luke Gulbranson’s relationship labeled a ‘PR Stunt’ (All About the Tea)
• How Biden Could Appoint More Judges Than Trump (FiveThirtyEight) 

QUOTABLE

“I have the record for the longest speech ever on the floor — I don’t have a problem getting a record for the most votes for Speaker.”

– Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) before the first round of voting for Speaker.

NUMBER TO KNOW

672 

Days until the presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024. Former President Trump has launched another bid, while President Biden is expected to announce his final decision on pursuing reelection soon. Catch up on other recent 2024 news here.

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