Congressman Daniel Webster was among those in the House GOP backing Kevin McCarthy for speaker on Tuesday, but McCarthy still came up short of the votes needed for the top job.
McCarthy was dealt a tough blow in the first round of voting. Two more rounds of voting did not change anything. The House adjourned for the day and will reconvene on Wednesday.
The opposition to McCarthy is based in the next generation of Trump-aligned representatives in Congress.
“If you want to drain the swamp you can’t put the biggest alligator in control of the exercise,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Floridian who wowed the crowd in 2021 at a rally in The Villages.
Gaetz was a ringleader in the opposition to McCarthy’s path to the Speaker’s post.
Laura Loomer, who nearly unseated Webster in the GOP primary last year, was quick to lambast Webster’s support for McCarthy.
“This is one reason I will be running against him again!” said Loomer, who added that the people of the 11th District, which includes The Villages, deserve a “fighter.”
McCarthy lent his voice of support to robo calls for Webster during the primary this past August.