Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., on Wednesday rebuked fellow Republicans for infighting on Rep. Kevin McCarthy's bid to become House speaker, telling CNN: "There is no Plan B here. The plan is to get McCarthy elected as speaker."
Five conservative GOP members have vowed not to vote for McCarthy: Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.; Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.; Ralph Norman, R-S.C.; Bob Good, R-Va.; and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; who heads the GOP Freedom Caucus and previously ran against McCarthy.
McCarthy needs 218 votes on Jan. 3 to become House speaker.
"There is a large group of us that want to see Kevin McCarthy as leader, even though we might disagree on specific policies or rhetoric, or different things. But the reality is, there is no one that has worked harder to get us where we are today with a Republican majority," Valadao said. "I'm a part of a group that's been putting out a lot of letters to our colleagues, even on social media, we'll support McCarthy, no matter what."
Valadao said no alternate candidates would suffice.
"We can be there all night," Valadao said. "We can be there two or three days. It doesn't really matter. The reality is McCarthy has worked harder than anyone else, and the majority of the conference understands that without him, we wouldn't even be having this debate."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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