'Trump's Bodyguard' US Republican McCarthy's Dream of House Speaker May Fade Away

Kevin McCarthy, U.S. House Republican Leader
Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The U.S. Republican Party, which suffered a virtual defeat in the midterm elections, is pushing for a vote of confidence in its leadership to determine the cause of the election loss. There is analysis that Kevin McCarthy, the longest-serving Republican House member and House Minority Leader, is also facing the collapse of his dream to become Speaker of the House. McCarthy earned the nickname "Trump's bodyguard" for actively defending former U.S. President Donald Trump when he faced impeachment threats.

According to major foreign media on the 14th (local time), Republican House members are expected to hold a vote of confidence on Minority Leader McCarthy as early as the 15th. Senate members are also pushing for a separate vote of confidence on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the 16th.

The so-called "Freedom Caucus," a hardline conservative faction within the Republican Party, is arguing to delay the vote of confidence for McCarthy until it becomes clear whether the Republicans will control the House. In the Senate, there are opinions to postpone the vote of confidence for McConnell until after the Georgia runoff election on the 6th of next month. In other words, internal strife is unfolding over the timing of the vote of confidence.

The Republican Party accepted a much poorer performance than expected in the midterm elections on the 8th. Before the vote, there was a forecast that a so-called "Red Wave" (a landslide victory for the Republican Party) would allow Republicans to control both the Senate and the House. However, the Democrats effectively secured a majority in the Senate after confirming a victory in Nevada on the 13th. Even if the Republicans win the Georgia runoff on the 6th of next month, the Senate seats would be tied 50-50, and in that case, Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, would cast the deciding vote, effectively giving the Democrats a Senate majority. In the House, Republicans are expected to hold a majority, but the gap in seats with the Democrats is projected to be narrow.

The Republican Party is showing signs of internal conflict over responsibility for the poor election results. There is a debate over whether the loss was due to former President Trump. Trump is directing criticism at McConnell, a leading anti-Trump figure within the Republican Party.

On the 13th, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth, which he created, that the midterm election results were "McConnell's mistake," adding, "McConnell ruined the midterms, and everyone despises McConnell." Trump argues that Florida Senator Rick Scott should replace McConnell as the Minority Leader.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.