WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, a top opponent of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House speaker, emerged Thursday as the lead negotiator among a fractured Republican conference working to end a historic standoff blocking Congress from starting its work.
The Texas firebrand has been one of the most vocal opponents to McCarthy’s leadership of the new House with a GOP majority, asserting a need to overhaul how the chamber is run to give more power to rank-and-file members. The cleavage within the party split the Republican speaker vote, meaning no one had the votes to claim the gavel. McCarthy, the Republican minority leader for the past four years, was the overwhelming choice of Republicans, but Roy and others have successfully peeled off enough members in their party to block him from a win. A candidate must get a simple majority in the entire chamber to become speaker.
[U.S. Rep. Chip Roy emerges as key GOP agitator in U.S. House speaker fight]
