Kevin McCarthy elected House GOP leader over objections from Chip Roy, Michael Cloud and other hard-liners

U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, arrives as U.S. House Republicans gather for leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. (Credit: REUTERS/Leah Millis)

WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy won his party's nomination for House Speaker, but not without some pushback from Texas conservatives.

During the House Republican Conference meeting Tuesday to pick its leadership for the next Congress, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, nominated Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, as an alternative candidate for speaker in a direct challenge to McCarthy, according to a source familiar with the secret ballot voting process. U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Victoria, seconded the nomination. Both members belong to the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, which has long challenged the status quo among the Republican conference.