McCarthy holdout sees ‘a few positives’ from election drama

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who repeatedly voted against Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become Speaker, said late Saturday that a “few positives” emerged from the California Republican winning the Speaker’s gavel.

“While this may not have been the overall outcome that you wanted, the opposition effort still revealed a few positives,” Biggs said on Twitter, noting that he’d led an effort to resist McCarthy “for months” and challenged him in several rounds of voting.  

McCarthy won the Speakership in the 15th vote of the multiday election early Saturday, after failing in the first 14 contests.  

Biggs, who was part of a group of some 20 Republicans who voted for alternate candidates in earlier rounds, voted “present” on the final ballot along with five other Republican hardliners.

“First, we deliberated as a body for the first time in a long time and showed glimpses of what a bona fide constitutional republic should look like. We ought to keep doing that,” Biggs said on Twitter, listing those “few positives” of the Speakership race results. 

Biggs also noted that the Republican holdouts “secured concessions” from McCarthy that the Arizona lawmaker said will “decentralize power from Leadership.”  

“And finally, we proved that the House Speakership is earned, not given,” Biggs concluded, saying it’s “important” that McCarthy “be successful” to advance the party’s agenda amidst its new control of the lower chamber.