Colorado’s Republican representatives stood at the center of U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s struggle to secure his much-desired spot as Speaker of the House.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert went so far as to nominate a different representative entirely – at odds with her usual ally, former President Donald Trump – while at one point U.S. Rep. Ken Buck signaled that he was losing patience with McCarthy’s repeated failure to rally a majority. Colorado’s third Republican in Congress, Doug Lamborn, continued to vote for McCarthy, however.
The Colorado delegation played a notable role in the historic political drama that began Tuesday and continued all the way past a historic sixth vote, each time McCarthy lost far more than five votes from his fellow Republicans, which is all the buffer the party’s narrow majority affords him.
After the first votes, Trump on social media urged Republicans to “VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL.”
After yesterday’s debacle, Trump offers a full-throated endorsement of Kevin McCarthy
— Kirk A. Bado (@kirk_bado)
Boebert – whom Trump endorsed twice – addressed the House Wednesday afternoon, disagreeing with the man she took care to note was her “favorite president.”
“The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, ‘Sir, you do not have the votes and itap time to withdraw,’” Boebert said, drawing an audible response from her colleagues on the House floor.
Instead, the far-right, Western Slope Boebert nominated U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida.
Buck, whose district covers Colorado’s Eastern Plains, also pushed Republicans to consider other options and said McCarthy might not have his support much longer if the votes keep failing to break in his favor.
“At some point” McCarthy would have to step aside and let U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, of Louisiana, run in his place, .
While Boebert continued to vote for Donalds, Buck ultimately voted for McCarthy until the House agreed to adjourn for several hours. Similarly, Lamborn continued to vote for McCarthy.
The last time the chamber needed multiple votes to select a new speaker , which serves as an indication of how rare the occasion is and how deeply fractured the Republican party is.
