WASHINGTON — Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was elected speaker of the House early Saturday morning after four days and 15 ballots, resuscitating a chamber that had been paralyzed as it endured the longest struggle to elect a leader since the Civil War.
McCarthy’s long-delayed triumph marks the high point of a congressional career he began as a staffer for former Rep. Bill Thomas more than three decades ago.
But the Republican leader’s victory came at a price. In order to secure the votes required to succeed his fellow Californian Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as speaker, McCarthy had to agree to a series of compromises that dramatically weaken the power of the post.
