Republican Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he will run once more to prevent Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy of California from becoming Speaker of the House.
Biggs lost to McCarthy in a party vote held behind closed doors among Republicans last month for the top Republican leadership position, which was considered as setting McCarthy up to perhaps become the next speaker. On January 3, all members will cast their official votes in front of the entire chamber.
Andy Biggs Hopes To Become House Speaker
Back in November, Andy Biggs, a member of the Freedom Caucus of extreme conservatism, became the sole candidate to succeed McCarthy as speaker. McCarthy did not lose the vote, despite the dissatisfaction of certain caucus members.
Andy Biggs tweeted a link to an opinion piece that was published in the Daily Caller, a conservative news outlet, stating, “I’m running for Speaker to disrupt the establishment.” Kevin McCarthy was developed, promoted, and kept in check by the establishment.
McCarthy is in line to succeed Biggs as speaker when Republicans regain control of the House next year, despite Biggs’ second attempt at the top leadership job. The move comes as some in McCarthy’s conference have urged him to take a stronger position on how he would run the House, including on raising the debt ceiling, as well as the California Republican on Tuesday sketched out in great detail on his webpage investigatory plans for when Republicans get review panel gavels and prosecutorial powers next year.
House Republicans engaged in a back-and-forth over the speaker’s race at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, with McCarthy and his supporters urging the conference to unite over the speaker’s vote and his adversaries pushing back, according to numerous GOP sources.
