Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Republican serving Montana’s eastern and central Congressional district, criticized GOP leadership elected by fellow House members on Tuesday as the party teetered on the verge of gaining enough seats to control the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Republicans met to choose leadership, which included a vote to nominate Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California as the GOP nominee for Speaker of the House, should Republicans gain control.
However, before McCarthy’s place was secure, Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona mounted a challenge to McCarthy, who was seen as the presumptive nominee and leader. However, after last week’s election results in which Republicans failed to mount a decisive sweep of Congress, including not wresting control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats, Republicans in both chambers voiced opposition to the leadership of McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Rosendale issued the following statement:
McCarthy received 188 votes, making him the Republican Conference nominee, but he is currently 30 votes short of the required 218 to become Speaker.
Requests for comment from the Daily Montana to Rep.-elect Ryan Zinke of Montana’s western Congressional district went unanswered on Wednesday. Zinke is returning to Washington D.C., after most recently serving as the Secretary of the Interior during part of President Donald Trump’s administration. Prior to that, he was Montana’s Congressional representative at-large.
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