Congressman-elect Tom Kean Jr. (R, NJ-07) isn’t new to Team McCarthy, Save Jerseyans, but he doubled down this week by co-signing a letter pledging not only to support McCarthy but also reject any GOP “consensus candidate” alternative.
As of New Year’s Eve (Eve), the veteran California politico once believed to be a near-lock for speaker still hadn’t secured enough votes from the razor-thin incoming Republican House majority to secure the speaker’s gavel.
Fearing a deadlock, some Republicans have begun suggesting the necessity of a consensus option like Louisiana’s Steve Scalise or a conservative alternative like Ohio’s Bob Jordan.
NEW: More than a dozen House Republicans who won in battleground/districts won by Biden in 2020 issued a letter today to colleagues saying they are supporting McCarthy and will not support a “consensus candidate.”
Led Rep.-elect Lawler, it includes quite a few incoming freshmen pic.twitter.com/cNObzvigBa
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) December 29, 2022
