Sen. Ted Cruz, a GOP presidential candidate, said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s failure to secure enough votes to become the next speaker of the House is yet more evidence of the growing frustration that grassroots conservative have with the way in which GOP leaders have governed.
“I think the reason we are seeing a change in leadership in the House is the American people are fed up,” Mr. Cruz said Thursday, on WRKO radio in Boston. “They are fed up with Republican leadership that isn’t listening to us and isn’t honoring the promises that were made to the men and women who gave Republicans majorities in both houses,” Mr. Cruz said.
The Texas Republican said he hopes the next speaker will “be a strong conservative and most importantly will put as his No. 1 priority keeping the promises that all of us made to the men and women who sent us to Washington to fight for them.”
Mr. Cruz has caused headaches for both Democrats and Republicans and is campaigning against what he describes as the “Washington Cartel” in the 2016 GOP nomination race, as part of his push to unite conservatives.
Mr. Cruz is polling in the middle of the GOP field, but is generally thought to be well-position over the long haul to compete for the conservative mantle in the race.
Mr. McCarthy’s withdrawal from the House speaker’s race Thursday stunned his colleagues in the House and caused at least one lawmaker to come to tears, according to people in the room.
Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, had been widely viewed as the likely successor to House Speaker John Boehner, but struggled to muster the 218 votes he needed to secure the chamber’s top spot.
Reps. Daniel Webster of Florida and Jason Chaffetz of Utah also are seeking the job.
Mr. Cruz refused to endorse anyone in the race, though he did say the stalemate over the speakership is proof of the “volcanic frustration with Washington” that he said convinced Mr. Boehner to announce he is stepping down. Mr. Boehner said Thursday that he will stay on the job until members selected a replacement.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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