GOP civil war: Gaetz lines up enough votes to oust McCarthy — will Democrats save him?

The House is just hours away from voting on a motion to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, and Rep. Matt Gaetz has picked up enough votes from Republicans leaning toward making that happen.

Mr. Gaetz, Florida Republican, filed a resolution Monday to remove Mr. McCarthy, setting in motion a floor vote this week that will decide the speaker’s fate and the direction of the House Republican Conference.

Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, on Tuesday said he’s sticking with keeping the government open, adding that if he loses his job over it, “so be it.”

Mr. Gaetz needs only four Republicans to vote along with his motion to vacate the chair.

The speaker plans to bring Mr. Gaetz’s motion up for a vote Tuesday afternoon. When asked by reporters if he thinks he will be speaker by the end of the day, he responded, “You know, if I counted how many times someone want to knock me out, I would have gone a long time [ago].”

Mr. McCarthy and his team likely are working members to stick by him. He has the support of about 200 House Republicans, but Tuesday morning some revealed how they would vote when the motion comes to the floor, and it looks bleak for Mr. McCarthy:

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SEE ALSO: Rep. Matt Gaetz files resolution to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House

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• Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee: Yes

• Rep. Bob Good of Virginia: Yes

• Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona: Yes

• Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona: Yes

• Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana: Lean yes

• Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina: Lean yes

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SEE ALSO: McCarthy balks at accusations of a ‘side deal’ with Biden on Ukraine funding

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Mr. Burchett told reporters he supports the motion to vacate because Congress has wasted too much time on items such as naming post offices and not enough time passing the GOP’s eight remaining appropriation spending measures.

Mr. Burchett, in a video message posted on social media, said he decided to vote against Mr. McCarthy because the speaker allowed Congress to take an August vacation despite the government’s $33 trillion debt and the looming shutdown deadline.

There’s no urgency,” he said. “Enough is enough. I hate losing Kevin McCarthy as a friend but I worry about losing our country.”

Rep. Dan Bishop, North Carolina Republican, previously leaned toward voting to oust Mr. McCarthy, but he put out a statement immediately before the vote that he won’t support a motion to vacate the chair.

“Mr. McCarthy is an accurate reflection of the current House Republican Conference,” Mr. Bishop said. “Congress operates on numerosity. There must be a substantial groundswell for an effort toward fundamental change. One person’s play call with roughly 5-7 potential supporters portends no path toward success, only chaos.”

Rep. Victoria Spartz, Indiana Republican, announced before the vote she will not support a motion to vacate.

“I will not table Rep. Matt Gaetz’s Motion to Vacate Speaker McCarthy and allow it to proceed to the floor,” she posted on X “But I will not vote to vacate the speaker at this time and will give him one last chance to deliver on: 1)National Debt; 2) Border Security; and 3) 12 Appropriations.”

If this tally continues, Mr. McCarthy may need support from Democrats to help him retain his speakership if he can’t change the minds of any hardliners who say they’re voting against him, but Democratic lawmakers have indicated they won’t get involved in a GOP civil war and bail him out.

“This issue is about Republican dysfunction. That is not our responsibility to elect Republicans,” Rep. Mark Takano, California Democrat, told reporters.

“We are following the leader and we are not saving Kevin McCarthy,” said Rep. Pramilla Jayapal, Washington Democrat and chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus, adding that such feeling in her party is unanimous.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, called for Republicans who are “more traditional to break from the extremists in the chaos and the dysfunction.”

“We are ready, willing and able to work together with our Republican colleagues, but it is on them to join us to move the Congress and the country forward,” he said.