House Republican: Speaker vote turmoil was ‘quite healthy’ 

Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) on Sunday said the turmoil amid the tense election for Speaker of the House last week was “quite healthy” for the new Congress.  

“The process that we went through … was quite healthy from the standpoint of getting all of these issues resolved now,” Barr said on ABC’s “This Week” with host George Stephanopoulos.  

“I understand the American people’s concern with the delay in electing a Speaker. Certainly it’s going to be a challenge to have a conference full of independent thinkers with a thin majority. But not only did the Framers of our Constitution expect us to debate the operations of the House … that’s what a healthy democracy actually requires,” Barr said.  

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) secured the Speakership early Saturday on the 15th round of voting for the House top leadership slot, after a group of around 20 lawmakers from his own party cast their ballots for alternate candidates in order to keep the California lawmaker from getting the majority of votes he needed.

The uphill battle McCarthy faced in getting to the Speakership signaled tensions within the party even as the GOP takes power with 222 seats in the lower chamber. 

Advancing the Republican agenda “will be a challenge, no doubt about it, with the diversity of opinions in our conference,” Barr said on Sunday, though he expressed confidence that the GOP can come to a consensus on the issues.