Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., told Newsmax she expects Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to be the next speaker of the House.
Tenney made her comments during a Tuesday interview on "Wake Up America."
Asked if she expected McCarthy to be the House speaker by the time Wednesday morning rolls around, she replied: "I think he's going to get there. I definitely think probably. How about that? It won't be on the first vote."
The requirements for the gavel are 218 votes. In the new Congress, there will be 222 Republicans. But five are against a McCarthy speakership. A speaker ballot has not gone to a second vote in 100 years.
"Look, this group wants a perfect speaker," she said. "We're never going to have one.
"Certainly, I get where they're coming from, and Kevin has come a long way. I think this group wants their pound of flesh. They want to make Kevin suffer the humiliation of going through a round without having us unified.
"But if we're unified after that, let's get together and move on and run this country because right now, we are the last stop before the complete infiltration of authoritarianism that we saw under Nancy Pelosi — the disaster at the border, the economy, where Nancy Pelosi as speaker, alone, added $40 trillion to our deficit.
"So, we have huge problems, and we've got to with it. And the only savior we have right now is this very slim majority. We must stick together. And I think we're going to get there. Its just going to be a little bit arduous today."
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