Some Republican-led states, including Tennessee, are joining Democrats in actively resisting <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">school choice policies</a> after dozens of red states have already begun implementing such changes.
School choice, which deposits public education funds directly to families to spend on where their children learn, became popular among Republican and Democratic voters in the wake of the pandemic after parents got an inside look at what their kids were being taught.
Some states, including Arizona, Utah, Iowa, West Virginia, and Arkansas, have adopted such policies, while dozens of others allow parents to take advantage of tax credits or savings programs for private schools or homeschool programs. However, some GOP officials in red states, including Tennessee, Idaho, and Wyoming, are seeing opposition from fellow Republicans.
Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, a Republican, sponsored education savings account legislation in that state in 2019 targeting poor-performing public school districts with heavy minority populations.
&#8220;There was tremendous support for many, in the African American community or Hispanic community, as well as all folks that are in these urban areas where they have a failing school system,&#8221; Johnson told The Daily Wire. &#8220;That&#8217;s kind of where we drew the line for this initial legislation that we pass, and some would love to have statewide universal school choice.&#8221;
However, sources working in Tennessee&#8217;s state capitol told The Daily Wire of the harrowing fight lawmakers endured in passing the legislation due to the nature of the bill, which only covers a few hundred students. Although they expect that number to grow, sources said they don&#8217;t see universal school choice passing in Tennessee anytime soon due to the backlash not just from Democrats and teacher unions, but also from the overwhelmingly Republican legislature.
The House passed the policy with only one vote, prompting the House Speaker to keep the poll open for nearly an hour while he negotiated with other lawmakers to switch positions. Although Johnson supports expanding the law passed in 2019, he said he would take what he could get.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to let the perfect be the enemy of the good,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;I support school choice, and where we need it, the most are in the areas where we have it available now.&#8221;
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Idaho House members tried to expand grant programs to help parents pay for private school tuition or offer scholarships, but faced opposition from the state&#8217;s Republican Governor Brad Little.
Little included in his budget proposal this session a recommendation of $30 million in ongoing funds toward The Empowering Parents program, which would go toward grants designed for education needs that are up to $1,000 per student or $3,000 per family, local media <a href="https://www.lmtribune.com/northwest/idaho-senate-committee-introduces-bill-to-add-grants-to-parents-program/article_a8ca5909-4a95-59e7-b3b9-e97ecb5bd764.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. It would only go toward academic instruction for up to 2,000 students per year and prioritize families with the lowest household incomes.
<div class="subscriber-only">
However, Little had made it clear that he does not support public education funds going towards private institutions, saying that allowing such programs to exist would be &#8220;taking food out of the mouths of a program that we know is going to work.&#8221;
</div>
Wyoming, which Gallup and Cook political reports mark as the reddest state in the union, had more than half of its Republican House chamber co-sponsoring a school choice bill after it cleared a Senate hurdle. However, Republican House Speaker Albert Sommers blocked its passage, saying the bill goes against his support for local control and ensures authority stays with local school boards, town councils, and county commissions.
Yet, some of his Republican colleagues argue that Wyoming teachers unions control Sommers because the bill would ban schools from including lessons about sexual orientation.
Rep. John Bear, chair of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/wyoming-gop-house-speaker-buries-parental-rights-school-choice-bills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the state has &#8220;a lot of people who run as Republicans but have very progressive beliefs.&#8221;
Some Republican leaders and conservative parents oppose school choice legislation on some very different grounds and fear it will deprive public schools of funding.
Their concern is that allowing public funds to go to private institutions and homeschool programs might open the door to allow government interference.
Alex Newman, an analyst for The Freedom Project, explained those concerns from a coalition of Republicans and Democrats that blocked the failed Idaho school choice bill from advancing.
Opponents cited a lack of accountability in the bill, he argued, which presents challenges for homeschoolers using the voucher program.
&#8220;Once the money comes, then they&#8217;re gonna want accountability,&#8221; Newman <a href="https://twitter.com/FREEDOMPR0JECT/status/1634705769617674244?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;They&#8217;re going to want to know what we&#8217;re doing, what are we learning, etcetera, etcetera, and then eventually they&#8217;ll want to control it&#8230; They were concerned that government funding of homeschooling or private schools would lead almost inevitably to government regulation and then ultimately control.&#8221;
Jason Bedrick, an education research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Wire the more families that get involved with investing in private education, whether in a private school or homeschool environment, the greater the constituency there is to defend private school and homeschool autonomy, &#8220;if and when the government decides that they&#8217;re going to try to come after you.&#8221;
&#8220;When it comes to our liberties, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance,&#8221; Bedrick said. &#8220;So we always have to be vigilant. But I think we also have to recognize that the government doesn&#8217;t need to be funding private education for the government to try regulating it.”
Megan Basham contributed to this report.

Fight for our children protest, Protesting in front of the department of education to stop the masking and vaccines for the children going to school, St. Paul, Minnesota. November 3, 2021.

Republicans In Red States Including Tennessee Join Dems To Resist School Choice Policies

Democratic Party

Department of Education

Education

Politics

Republican Party

School Choice

Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/george-santos-stepping-down-from-committees-reports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Santos</a> (R-NY) filed paperwork for a re-election bid on Tuesday, signaling the controversial Republican will fight for another term in office as he faces an ethics investigation and calls to resign from within his own party. 
Santos has already raised more than $5,000, meaning he had to file for re-election with the Federal Election Commission by the deadline on Tuesday, but the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/14/politics/george-santos-2024-paperwork/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filing</a> does not mean Santos must run in 2024. The freshman congressman has been embroiled in scandals even before being sworn into office in early January. 
The House Ethics Committee launched an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congress-launches-investigation-into-george-santos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation</a> into Santos earlier this month after he made numerous false statements about his past and allegedly engaged in unlawful activity during his 2022 campaign. Santos allegedly “failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House; violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services; and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office,” according to a statement from the House Ethics Committee chairman and ranking member. 
Santos has admitted to lying to voters about his resume, including where he attended college and that he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. The Republican congressman also claimed that he started an animal charity and saved thousands of dogs and cats between 2013 and 2018, but there is no evidence the charity existed. 
The Nassau County Republican Party, which represents most of Santos’ district, has pledged it would not support a re-election campaign by the congressman, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-14/george-santos-files-paperwork-for-2024-reelection-bid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
“Whether or not George Santos indicates he will run for reelection has no bearing on the position of the Nassau County Republican Committee,” said Nassau County Republican Chairman Joseph Cairo Jr. “He will not receive the Nassau GOP’s endorsement for reelection in 2024. If he decides to run, we will oppose and beat him. He has no place in public service and I again call on him to do the very first honorable thing in his Congressional career — resign!”
Last month, after indicating he could step down if enough of his constituents wanted him to, Santos appeared to backtrack, tweeting, “I’m not leaving, I’m not hiding and I am NOT backing down.”

George Santos

Embattled GOP Rep. George Santos Files Paperwork For Re-Election

Congress

New York

Florida Republican Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron DeSantis</a> hinted Thursday at a potential timeline for when he may announce a 2024 presidential campaign, should he decide to run.
DeSantis made the remarks during a Fox News appearance on &#8220;America&#8217;s Newsroom&#8221; about his new book and what future political plans he has.
When asked about what former President Donald Trump&#8217;s endorsement means in the current political environment, DeSantis responded that &#8220;at that time when he was president, his [endorsement] was the big enchilada.&#8221;
&#8220;I think our voters always make their own decisions,&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;Our voters want to look at you and size you up. And they take this responsibility very, very seriously.&#8221;
When asked about the &#8220;Make America Florida&#8221; chapter in his book and what his timeline is for making a decision about running in 2024, DeSantis pointed to first delivering results for the millions of Floridians who have given Republicans in the state historic levels of power with supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature.
&#8220;So we&#8217;re going to have a three month run here where I think we&#8217;re going to be able to deliver more than we&#8217;ve already delivered,&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;And we&#8217;ve delivered more than just about anyone. And I think that that&#8217;s going to be something that — you win the election, it&#8217;s vindication for the four years.&#8221;
&#8220;So that&#8217;s going to be my focus, then when we get on the other side of that, assuming we&#8217;ve been successful, we&#8217;ll take a look at what that would mean for national,&#8221; he added.
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WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Ron DeSantis: The anti-woke majority is getting stronger" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jcCMKUtOkg4?start=45&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>PERINO: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis &#8230; welcome, your book is doing extremely well. And congratulations on that. It&#8217;s called “The Courage to be Free.” So welcome this morning.
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: Thanks. Good to be with you guys.
PERINO: So I wanted to ask you about something that actually came up yesterday from President Biden, he was at the House Democratic retreat, and he is repeating a familiar refrain that he&#8217;s going to use against Republicans listen to President Biden here.
BIDEN: During this day to you now is pleased to see so many regular Republicans stand up when I asked him to join us in rejecting cuts in social security. … All stood up. But the interesting thing is, they won&#8217;t be able to forget, it&#8217;s all on camera.
PERINO: I want to know how you, as the governor of Florida, might react to that. And also there&#8217;s news that a bipartisan group is looking — on Capitol Hill — is looking at the possibility of suggesting a gradual increase in the age to get Social Security to 70 years old.
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: Well, you know, Biden, when he was in the Senate, I mean, he took a lot of positions that would have reduced social security benefits for current recipients, he wanted to freeze Social Security payments, which as you know, if you have inflation would cause seniors to lose ground. Look, I have more seniors here than than just about anyone as a percentage. You know, we&#8217;re not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans. I think that that&#8217;s pretty clear. If you look at the last five or six years, Dana, we&#8217;ve had an unprecedented binge in discretionary spending. You know, there&#8217;s a lot of the budget, people used to say they would blame Social Security or Medicare for budget woes, but the reality is they have printed trillions and trillions of dollars. And that has really fueled the inflation. And not only that, that discretionary spending is funding agencies that are doing things that are hostile to the rights of the American people, and have really been weaponized against factions of society that the elite ruling class doesn&#8217;t like.
HEMMER: Governor, congrats on the book, it&#8217;s selling well, I think you&#8217;re well aware of that. On page 81, you talk about your first victory as Governor 2018. That was a close race over Andrew Gillum. You describe it as the most consequential in Florida history. [That’s] saying a lot — you also give a nod to Donald Trump and the support that he gave you during that campaign. He has talked about that in different venues in different ways since then. In 2023, how much do you believe a Trump endorsement matters in American Republican politics today?
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: You know, I don&#8217;t know. I mean, I think our voters always make their own decisions. And they consider obviously endorsements. And at that time when he was president, his was the big enchilada. But our voters want to look at you and size you up. And they take this responsibility very, very seriously. But when I wrote that in the book about the consequential — the fact is, there was a big difference between me and my Democratic opponent 2018. I mean, you couldn&#8217;t probably have been any different. And that would have been consequential no matter what. But then when we had the COVID pandemic, you would have had a difference between how I guided Florida and a governor that would have done and replicated the California-Illinois models. And we&#8217;ve seen, those models cause people to flee those states to Florida. So I don&#8217;t think we would have been able to survive the way those states handled it. And I think the way we did it, you know, we&#8217;re booming, Bill, we&#8217;re the number one fastest growing state leading in net in-migration, record budget surplus, low taxes, full employment — in fact, a point and a half below the national average. And I think it all goes back to that election. And now, just as Republicans, what have we done with Florida? When I got elected, it was a one point race almost every election between governor and president. We were able to go from winning by 32,000 votes to winning by over 1.5 million votes, sweeping Hispanics by over 60%, winning Miami Dade County by double digits. But we have built in an infrastructure for Republicans to where Florida it should no longer be considered a swing state. I mean, this is a state that we have the strong advantage in now.
PERINO: You mentioned the strength of your economy and what you think you&#8217;ve been able to do there in Florida, and you have a lot of results. When you look ahead, do you think that somebody like you as governor could then maybe run and take that blueprint and make Florida&#8217;s model resonate across the United States?
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: Well, I think there&#8217;s a couple things from the book that I point out. One is, you know, we were really going against elite opinion on a lot of the things we were doing, the corporate press, the Left would attack us. But we were taking on issues that had broad resonance across party lines, parents rights in education, fighting the woke ideology and woke indoctrination, standing up for law and order. That&#8217;s one of the reasons why I actually won a lot of single moms in our election, because we were doing that. So I think there&#8217;s a strong anti-woke majority out there across the country. And I think it&#8217;s one of the reasons why Florida stories resonate. I also point out, we had a specific approach to leadership, where I didn&#8217;t take a poll, my entire time as governor, about issues, I wanted to lead, I would produce results. And I was confident that people would back me if the results were good. So many elected officials get captive to the polls, when really a leader’s job is to lead public opinion and get out in front of it. And then I think the second thing that we did is, we had personnel working for us who believed in the mission, and anybody who didn&#8217;t, if anyone tried to leak or do anything, we got rid of them. And really, for the last four years, I didn&#8217;t have a single leak in my administration, and you could have the best vision in the world, make the best decisions as the executive, if you don&#8217;t have people that will carry out that and implement it, then it&#8217;s not going to amount to very much — so we had that. So when I would come out and announce our next step, people could take it to the bank that would be executed quickly. And the results would follow
HEMMER: You had a state House that was favorable toward you. And a lot of people would argue, you know, once you get those votes, you can pass a lot of things. And I think there will be news out of Tallahassee in the coming days and weeks because of that. But on Dana&#8217;s point here, the last chapter in your book is only six and a half pages long, I think is the shortest chapter. But the title is Make America Florida. Now, in your view, what does that look like? And in your timeline?
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: Part of the reason we did that bill is because—
*CROSSTALK*
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: Sure, so part of the reason I titled it that is because as we got to the end of 2020, you start to see the hats and shirts and flags in Florida, and even in other states, and I had nothing to do with it. This was all organic, where people were basically saying, hey, the country, you know, it has problems. Obviously, we&#8217;ve seen that over the last two years. But Florida can do it right. Why is it that Florida can do it right? And we have other good Republican states that can do it right — but yet the Biden model is failing our country, it&#8217;s failing states like Illinois, and California. What is it about Florida? And so, you know, we talked about some of those things. But I think it&#8217;s been a leader to not only be a model for other states, I do think it could be nationally. And so we&#8217;re going to be working through over the next few months, as you said, have the legislature — now I didn&#8217;t always have such a favorable legislation, we came in, we had a narrow Senate Majority, we were able to get a lot done. Now we have supermajorities in the legislature because we had such a good 2022 election. So we&#8217;re going to have a three month run here where I think we&#8217;re going to be able to deliver more than we&#8217;ve already delivered. And we&#8217;ve delivered more than just about anyone. And I think that that&#8217;s going to be something that — you win the election, it&#8217;s vindication for the four years. And I was glad to do that, because a lot of people wrote me off during COVID when we were charting our own course. But it really gives you an opportunity to do this. So that&#8217;s going to be my focus, then when we get on the other side of that, assuming we&#8217;ve been successful, we&#8217;ll take a look at what that would mean for national.
HEMMER: Well, sounds like late summer. Am I right?
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: Well, I don&#8217;t know. I mean, you know, I definitely could come on your show between now and then and talk about some of the legislation I&#8217;m going to be signing over the next few few months. If you guys are interested. Just let us know. We&#8217;d love to do it.
PERINO: I think that the entire country will be interested in watching that and they&#8217;re also obviously they&#8217;re reading your book as well. Governor, thank you for joining us this morning.
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: Thank you.</blockquote>

Ron DeSantis

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Hints At Timeline For When He May Make Presidential Announcement

Elections

Florida

Strive Asset Management Executive Chairman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vivek-ramaswamy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vivek Ramaswamy</a>, a former biotechnology executive and a leading voice against the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/esg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESG</a> investing movement, teased a possible bid for the White House on Monday.
The business leader has been garnering name recognition in the crucial Republican primary state of Idaho, according to a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/02/13/anti-woke-ramaswamy-2024-election-00082414" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from POLITICO, and plans to run an ideas-based campaign. Ramaswamy would enter a Republican primary field currently led by former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Ramaswamy appeared to <a href="https://twitter.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1625133742195896320" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirm</a> his presidential ambitions Monday on social media, retweeting the Politico story and commenting “stay tuned.”
“I think the GOP has a historic opportunity to answer the question of what it means to be an American at the moment where we lack a national identity,” Ramaswamy told the outlet. “I’m grateful that many Republican governors and other leaders have borrowed my message and woven it into their policy agendas. But when it comes to who leads our country next, I believe that it’s going to take a leader who shares his own vision, not someone else’s, and that’s what calls me to do this.”
He has reportedly assembled a campaign team of nearly 20 people: Kathy Barnette, the former Pennsylvania Senate primary candidate, will lead his potential grassroots efforts, while Tricia McLaughlin, who led communications for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, would be his press secretary.
The former chief executive of Roivant Sciences launched Strive last year in an attempt to lead portfolio companies to reject investment strategies motivated by the environmental, social, and corporate governance movement. Strive recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vivek-ramaswamys-strive-asset-management-to-uproot-esg-moves-at-three-major-companies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> a series of actions at ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Home Depot meant to prevent the firms from “prioritizing ESG over excellence.” The company, for instance, co-authored a shareholder resolution for Home Depot that would undo an earlier proposal supported by BlackRock to conduct a “racial equity audit.”
A son of Indian immigrants and a graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, Ramaswamy often contends that the economic woes faced by the United States are worsened by a rejection of meritocracy and an embrace of left-wing political and social agendas.
“I believe that I’ve developed a vision for American national identity that I have deep conviction for and is the product of my own journey of having lived the gifts that this country has afforded me,” he told POLITICO. “And the combination of both doing it intellectually and having personally experienced that vision of our nation makes me well suited to articulate that and deliver on it.”
Ramaswamy’s candidacy would follow Republican state treasurers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/states-have-pulled-nearly-12-billion-from-blackrock-this-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">divesting</a> some $12 billion from asset manager BlackRock over the firm’s promotion of the ESG movement. States such as Texas and Oklahoma have passed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oklahoma-treasurer-puts-banks-and-asset-managers-on-notice-moves-to-purge-esg-investments-from-state-government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">measures</a> that would sanction asset management companies which boycott the fossil fuel industry for ideological reasons. Republican attorneys general recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/attorneys-general-sue-biden-admin-over-rule-that-lets-esg-into-retirement-savings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> suit against the Biden administration’s Labor Department over a rule that would nix a previous ban on ESG investments for retirement fiduciaries.
American investors are largely skeptical toward ESG investment strategies and desire that their funds are allocated in a politically agnostic manner. An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/poll-by-two-to-one-margin-investors-reject-woke-companies-pushing-political-causes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclusive poll</a> from The Daily Wire showed last year that 64% of respondents believe “individual investors whose savings are being invested” should decide whether funds are appropriated according to ESG standards, while a mere 20% believe that “Wall Street asset managers” should make such decisions.

Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference

Vivek Ramaswamy, Top Private Sector Voice Against ESG, Teases Possible Presidential Run

Vivek Ramaswamy Teases Possible Presidential Run

Vivek Ramaswamy

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-jersey">New Jersey</a> town council and the mayor of the town have unanimously decided to switch parties — from Democrat to Republican.
The town council of East Hanover, population 11,000, consists of Council President Frank DeMaio, Jr., Councilwoman Carolyn Jandoli and Councilmen Brian Brokaw, Sr. and Michael Martorelli. Along with Mayor Joseph Pannullo — a Democrat who ousted Republican Mayor William Agnellino in 2007 — they will join the Republican Party, the New Jersey Globe <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/mayor-entire-council-in-east-hanover-switching-to-gop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Municipal leaders have a responsibility to best represent their constituents, and it is our belief this change of party is in the best interest of the community,” Pannullo stated. “As the nastiness, rhetoric, and social media vitriol of national politics continues to infiltrate local governance, we collectively determined this was the best course of action to keep the focus on local issues impacting our community — combating the overburdening and unrealistic fair-share housing mandates, keeping taxes stable, enhancing our parks and investing in public safety needs to be our local priorities. Every decision my administration makes is about putting East Hanover first; this is no different.”
The five Democrats were reportedly convinced to change parties by Hanover Mayor Ace Gallagher, according to Morris County GOP Chair Laura Marie Ali.
“The entire Republican Party in Morris County is welcoming Mayor Pannullo and East Hanover’s four Council members to our family with open arms and great excitement,” Ali said. “East Hanover is an exceptionally run town with great leadership. It is clear we share the same values as Mayor Pannullo and his Council and we are so excited to have them be part of our Republican family.”
“Today’s complete party flip on the East Hanover Township Council — a first in New Jersey history — is an early signal of the Republicans’ growing momentum ahead of the critical November elections, Bob Hugin, chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-jersey-township-elected-board-switch-parties-democrat-republican?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrated</a>. &#8220;Voters know that any official running with a ‘D’ next to their name in our one-party control state is responsible for aiding and abetting the radical Phil Murphy agenda that is driving energy prices up and people out of their homes.
Senate Minority Whip Anthony M. Bucco called the Democrats’ switch “a major win for the Republican Party and shows how out of touch and extreme the Democrat party has become,” adding, “We welcome these well-respected local leaders to our party as we continue to expand our party’s reach.”

Studio shot of red and blue chess pawns symbolizing US Democratic and Republican parties

Entire NJ Town Council, Mayor Switch From Democrats To Republicans

New Jersey

U.S.

Arkansas Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sarah-huckabee-sanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sarah Huckabee Sanders</a> (R-AR) will deliver the GOP rebuttal to President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a>&#8216;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mccarthy-invites-biden-to-deliver-state-of-the-union-address" target="_blank" rel="noopener">State of the Union address next week</a>.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced the pick on Thursday, garnering rave reviews from fellow Republicans. The opposition&#8217;s response to a State of the Union address is typically delegated to a rising star in the party to offer a countervailing policy agenda to the nation. This year&#8217;s matchup on Tuesday night will pit Biden against a high-profile member of former President Donald Trump&#8217;s White House.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
She is the ✓ Youngest governor in America ✓ First female governor in Arkansas history ✓ First father-daughter governance in history
Everyone—including President Biden—should tune in. <a href="https://t.co/8FlP4p8OIL">pic.twitter.com/8FlP4p8OIL</a>
&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1621193685965721600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I’m honored to have the opportunity to address the nation after the State of the Union on Tuesday,&#8221; Sanders said in a tweet. &#8220;What America needs – and what Republicans are offering – is a return to common sense and a commitment to the ideals that made America the land of the free and home of the brave.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I’m honored to have the opportunity to address the nation after the State of the Union on Tuesday.
What America needs – and what Republicans are offering – is a return to common sense and a commitment to the ideals that made America the land of the free and home of the brave.
&mdash; Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahHuckabee/status/1621198947606839298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
McCarthy later announced Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) will deliver the Spanish-language GOP response to Biden&#8217;s State of the Union address.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Humbled and honored by the opportunity to deliver the Republican Address to the Nation in Spanish following the State of the Union.
My message is simple: The American Dream is a dream worth fighting for.
Mi mensaje es sencillo, el sueño americano merece ser defendido. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/PSglNMJm02">https://t.co/PSglNMJm02</a>
&mdash; Rep. Juan Ciscomani (@RepCiscomani) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepCiscomani/status/1621238638737604608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Sanders served as an adviser on Trump&#8217;s 2016 presidential campaign and later became his White House press secretary for two years. She left the Trump administration in the summer of 2019 and then ran a successful campaign in the 2022 election cycle to become governor of Arkansas, a role once held by her father Mike Huckabee.
After being sworn in last month, Sanders quickly got down to business, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arkansas-governor-sarah-huckabee-sanders-bans-word-from-state-government-documents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signing an executive order</a> banning the use of “Latinx” in government documents. She also banned Critical Race Theory in <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/arkansas-governor-sarah-huckabee-sanders-bans-critical-race-theory-in-k-12/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">K-12 public schools</a>.
During an interview on &#8220;Fox News Sunday,&#8221; Sanders <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sarah-huckabee-sanders-declines-to-endorse-trump-for-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declined to endorse Trump</a> for president in his 2024 run, though she stressed they have a &#8220;great relationship&#8221; and surmised the United States &#8220;would be infinitely better off if he was in office right now instead of Joe Biden.&#8221;
Among the Republicans celebrating Sanders delivering the GOP rebuttal this year was <a href="https://twitter.com/votetimscott/status/1621229694883434500" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sen. Tim Scott</a> (R-SC), <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/us/politics/tim-scott-rebuttal-transcript.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who delivered the Republican response</a> to Biden&#8217;s first address to a joint session of Congress in 2021. &#8220;Let ‘em have it, [Sanders],&#8221; Scott <a href="https://twitter.com/votetimscott/status/1621229694883434500" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>. &#8220;America is ready to return to normalcy and common sense. I can’t wait to hear you deliver the GOP’s blueprint for how we’ll continue to hold Biden accountable for his failures as president.&#8221;
Governor Kim Reynolds (R-IA), who <a href="https://abc7ny.com/state-of-the-union-2022-republican-response-stou-address-iowa-gov-kim-reynold-joe-biden-tonight/11612973/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delivered the GOP rebuttal last year</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/KimReynoldsIA/status/1621200835026771968" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>, &#8220;[Sanders,] I can’t wait for your Official GOP Response to Biden’s SOTU Address. I am so proud to call you a friend and a fellow Governor! Republican Governors are delivering on our promises, and you are just getting started!&#8221;
<a href="https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/1621194916226277378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In a tweet</a>, Mike Huckabee praised McCarthy for making a &#8220;brilliant choice&#8221; and quipped that he is &#8220;TOTALLY objective&#8221; in making this assessment.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Sarah Huckabee Sanders To Deliver GOP Rebuttal To Biden’s State Of The Union Address

Sarah Huckabee Sanders To Deliver GOP Rebuttal To Biden's State Of The Union Address

General

Joe Biden

Kevin McCarthy

State of the Union

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democratic</a> officials preparing to negotiate spending reductions have expressed an unmitigated refusal to involve <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/social-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Social Security</a> in the conversation.
President <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> and House Speaker <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) are slated to meet on Wednesday after the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/debt-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debt ceiling</a>, an arbitrary cap on the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/national-debt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national debt</a> established by Congress, exceeded the statutory limit of nearly $31.4 trillion. The White House has asserted that lawmakers on the other side of the aisle are attempting to reduce benefits from Social Security, the retirement, disability, and survivor benefit program established during the Great Depression, as well as Medicare, which provides health insurance to older Americans.
“You paid for your Social Security. Every single paycheck from the time you started working,” Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1619495290284740609" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on social media. “If Republicans try to cut it, I will veto it.”
McCarthy has meanwhile balked at the suggestion and affirmed that Republicans have no desire to discuss the programs in the forthcoming negotiations. “Let’s take those off the table,” he said in a recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reforming-social-security-and-medicare-off-the-table-in-debt-negotiations-mccarthy-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a>. “If you read our Commitment to America, all we talk about is strengthening Medicare and Social Security.”
Social Security, Medicare, and other health initiatives constituted 46% of the federal budget during the last fiscal year, according to <a href="https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Treasury Department. In order to balance the budget while exempting defense, veteran benefits, Social Security, and Medicare from cuts, all other federal spending would have to be reduced 85%, according to an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-spending-must-be-cut-26-to-balance-budget-even-more-to-keep-core-social-defense-programs-intact-analysis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Tax Foundation Senior Economist Erica York confirmed to The Daily Wire that leaving the two programs untouched would not be possible if officials are serious about restoring fiscal sanity. “If reforms to Social Security and Medicare and raising new revenues are all completely off the table,” she commented, “balancing the budget within the next ten years is an unrealistic goal because it could only be achieved by making infeasibly large cuts to other spending programs.”
Social Security has long been considered the third rail of American politics: the vast majority of survey respondents have historically indicated that they want benefits from the program retained with no reductions, even as nearly half are concerned about continued funding for the program, according to an <a href="https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/258335/social-security-american-public-opinion.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from Gallup.
Both trust funds managed by Social Security are nevertheless slated to be insolvent by 2035, according to a <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL33514" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Congressional Research Service. The agency recommended increasing payroll taxes or reducing payouts to avoid a benefit reduction; though the two major parties have floated both courses of action in recent decades, the remarks from Biden and McCarthy indicate that a compromise on Social Security reforms will not even be considered.
“Typically, we’ve seen Democratic proposals focus on increasing the payroll tax for solvency,” York continued, “and Republican proposals focus on the spending side for solvency, such as increasing the retirement age or curbing benefits for high-income earners.”
Republican and Democratic administrations have maintained unsustainable budget deficits and inflated the national debt to more than $31.5 trillion. President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump, and President Joe Biden have each witnessed deficits nearing or surpassing $1 trillion, according to <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FYFSD" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Office of Management and Budget, even during fiscal years that were not affected by stimulus measures intended to address the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 lockdown-induced recession.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican Conference Press Conference

Sparing The Sacred Cow: Republicans And Democrats Refuse To Touch Social Security As Debt Crisis Looms

Republicans And Democrats Refuse To Touch Social Security As Debt Crisis Looms

Debt Ceiling

National Debt

Social Security

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nebraska" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nebraska</a> Governor Jim Pillen appointed the state&#8217;s former Republican Governor Pete Ricketts as the Cornhusker State&#8217;s next senator on Thursday, replacing Ben Sasse, who officially resigned early this week.
Ricketts served two terms as the state&#8217;s top official from 2015 until last week when his successor moved into the governor&#8217;s mansion.
Governor Pillen personally chose Ricketts to fill the vacated Senate seat, saying he took the process to replace Sasse &#8220;incredibly seriously&#8221; because the appointee needs to &#8220;represent the people&#8221; of Nebraska, NBC <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/nebraska-gov-pillen-appoints-former-gov-pete-ricketts-ben-sasses-senat-rcna65482" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Pillen said the next senator must reflect &#8220;values and ideology important to Nebraskans,” believe in &#8220;less government and fiscal accountability,&#8221; and be a &#8220;person of incredible faith, God-fearing like almost all Nebraskans.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s clear the person for the job was Sen.-designate Pete Ricketts,&#8221; he said.
According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/us/politics/pete-ricketts-nebraska-senator.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>, Ricketts said during a news conference after Pillen appointed him that the Senate has to &#8220;hold Washington, D.C., accountable for the waste and the fraud,&#8221; adding that government needs to run more like a business &#8220;just like we&#8217;ve done here in Nebraska.&#8221;
&#8220;For me, it came down to a single question: How can I best serve the people of Nebraska and advance our conservative values?&#8221; Ricketts said in a news release, NBC reported. &#8220;In Congress, we&#8217;re in a fight for the future of our nation, and it&#8217;s a fight we have to win.&#8221;
Ricketts comes from a family heavily invested in Nebraska politics. His father, Joe Ricketts, the founder and former chief executive of the financial services company TD Ameritrade, donated to Republican candidates nationwide.
Ricketts spent approximately $1.3 million in the Republican primary for governor last year, helping Pillen defeat a candidate backed by former President Donald Trump. His appointment comes days after former U.S. Sen. Sasse officially resigned from his seat, having accepting a position to become president of the University of Florida, where he will reportedly earn a salary of $1 million.
The Republican politician delivered his farewell address from the Senate floor last week, saying that he never planned on spending a lifetime in Washington after eight years of public service.
&#8220;That&#8217;s not what our founders envisioned for the people they would send to the federal city,&#8221; Sasse <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-senator-ben-sasse-officially-leaves-u-s-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;They envisioned, rather, congressmen, senators, and presidents who thought of D.C. as a temporary stay.&#8221;
&#8220;Washington is a place to do a good bit of neighbor-loving work, but then to go back home to the more permanent work of life and flesh and blood whole communities,&#8221; he added.
Ricketts will fill the seat until 2024, when a special election is held for the remainder of Sasse&#8217;s term, which would have ended in 2026.

Key Speakers At The SelectUSA Investment Summit

Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts Fills Empty Senate Seat Vacated By Ben Sasse

Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts Appointed State's Next Senator, Replacing Ben Sasse

Ben Sasse

Nebraska

U.S. Senate

Former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) officially resigned from the Senate on Sunday after reports broke last year that the congressman would pursue higher education opportunities.
Sasse, who has served as senator for Nebraska since 2015, resigned after accepting a position to become president of the University of Florida, where he will <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/3804549-sasse-officially-leaves-senate/">reportedly</a> earn a salary of $1 million.
The Republican politician delivered his farewell address from the Senate floor last week, saying that he never planned on spending a lifetime in Washington after eight years of public service.
&#8220;That&#8217;s not what our founders envisioned for the people they would send to the federal city,&#8221; Sasse <a href="https://www.sasse.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=1CC36A1D-A7C7-4FB8-A33C-390DECF8A0A1">said</a>. &#8220;They envisioned, rather, congressmen, senators, and presidents who thought of D.C. as a temporary stay.&#8221;
&#8220;Washington is a place to do a good bit of neighbor-loving work, but then to go back home to the more permanent work of life and flesh and blood whole communities,&#8221; he added.
Sasse voted with six other Republican senators to convict former President Donald Trump after the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Trump called the Nebraska senator &#8220;Little Ben Sasse&#8221; at a May rally in the congressman&#8217;s home state, adding Sasse became a &#8220;grandstanding, little-respected senator.&#8221;
During his farewell speech, Sasse acknowledged that his relationship with Nebraskans had some &#8220;marked ups and downs&#8221; over the last eight years, making him &#8220;the most censured public official in the history of Nebraska.&#8221;
&#8220;Many times, it felt like a noogie and a slap and a head butt and a hug all at once,&#8221; he said.
Shortly after news broke of Sasse&#8217;s forthcoming retirement, the senator revealed that he would become the next president at the University of Florida.
The university said in a statement that it had spent months carefully vetting hundreds of applicants for the role and that the school&#8217;s 15-member presidential search committee &#8220;unanimously recommended United States Senator Dr. Ben Sasse as the sole finalist.&#8221;
Former Nebraska Republican Governor Pete Ricketts announced last month he intends to seek his successor&#8217;s appointment to become the state&#8217;s next U.S. senator to replace Sasse.
&#8220;For me, it came down to a single question: How can I best serve the people of Nebraska and advance our conservative values?&#8221; Ricketts said in a statement via The Hill. &#8220;In Congress, we&#8217;re in a fight for the future of our nation, and it&#8217;s a fight we have to win. We must cut taxes, strengthen public safety and our national security, and protect our most sacred freedoms.&#8221;
&#8220;Over the last eight years, we&#8217;ve shown the world the real impact conservative leadership can have,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I want to continue delivering results for our state, fighting to reduce taxes, grow our economy, defend our liberties, and run government more like a business. I&#8217;ll never stop working to get the job done, and that&#8217;s why I&#8217;m asking for Governor-elect [Jim] Pillen&#8217;s consideration.&#8221;
Sasse, who won a second term in 2020, would have had to run for re-election again in 2026.

Senate Judiciary Committee Hears Testimony From Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland

Republican Senator Ben Sasse Officially Leaves U.S. Senate

Senator Ben Sasse Officially Retires From U.S. Senate 

President Trump

University of Florida

ABC News&#8217;s George Stephanopoulos predicted two years of chaos during Kevin McCarthy&#8217;s House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-kevin-mccarthy-elected-next-speaker-of-the-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speakership</a>, but his Republican guests weren&#8217;t having it.
In his opening segment on &#8220;This Week&#8221; Sunday, Stephanopoulos said that McCarthy&#8217;s concessions to 20 conservative members who opposed his bid would put the country on edge. He extended his alarmist rhetoric to interviews with two Republican congressmen, but both lawmakers rebuked him for it.
&#8220;On the second anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, Kevin McCarthy clinched his decade-long quest to be speaker of the House,&#8221; Stephanopoulos said. &#8220;It came with concessions to the most extreme members of his caucus, the help of the former president he denounced on the House floor two years ago, and the prospect of two more years of brinksmanship over his hold on the office, the fiscal security of the United States and the basics functions of governing.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
McCarthy’s win means doom. <a href="https://twitter.com/GStephanopoulos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GStephanopoulos</a>: It “came with concessions to the most extreme members of his caucus&#8230;prospect of two more years of brinksmanship over his hold on the office, the fiscal security of the United States and the basic functions of governing.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisWeek?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisWeek</a> <a href="https://t.co/hcNI9Qrbjl">pic.twitter.com/hcNI9Qrbjl</a>
&mdash; Brent Baker 🇺🇦 (@BrentHBaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentHBaker/status/1612092404516982784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Specifically, Stephanopoulos seemed to take issue with three <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-concessions-house-speaker-kevin-mccarthy-gave-to-republican-holdouts-to-win-their-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concessions</a> McCarthy made: a proposed rule allowing a single member to make a motion to vacate the Speaker&#8217;s chair, a budget that stops the debt ceiling from increasing; and placing Freedom Caucus members on key committees.
Stephanopoulos kept up the negative tone in interviews with Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) and House Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA). But both of the Republicans swatted him down.
First, Stephanopoulos tried to corner <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/1-1-rep-scott-perry-96294861" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Perry</a> on the idea that the United States would default on its debt without a debt limit increase and that President Joe Biden was unwilling to negotiate.
&#8220;We can&#8217;t just keep doing the same thing under the same conditions with the same management and expect different outcomes,&#8221; Perry fired back. &#8220;The American people are sick and tired of this endless debt increasing. While I&#8217;ve been in Congress, George, the debt has increased double. It’s gone from about $15 trillion to $31.5 trillion. Where is the end of it? And there’s been no mechanism in sight to rein that in. At least we have a mechanism now.&#8221;
&#8220;I don’t know why President Biden says he’s not going to negotiate,&#8221; Perry said of Biden. &#8220;Saying you&#8217;re not going to negotiate, I think, is an untenable and unacceptable position for almost every single American no matter if you&#8217;re on the left, right, or in the center.&#8221;
In an interview with <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/1-1-rep-andy-barr-96294806" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barr</a> later in the program, Stephanopoulos claimed that the motion to vacate the Speaker, along with putting Freedom Caucus members on the Rules Committee, would undermine the Speaker&#8217;s authority.
Barr shot him down again.
&#8220;Well, let&#8217;s be clear, George, remember, this motion to vacate was only altered by Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi,&#8221; said Barr. &#8220;We&#8217;re just going back to the pre-Pelosi rule that was in place since 1910. I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s an issue at all in terms of creating chaos. I think it&#8217;s what the House has had every term before Pelosi came into power.&#8221;
Barr also defended putting Freedom Caucus members on committees, saying it would strengthen both legislation and the party.
&#8220;If there are issues, if there’s a difference of opinion, you want those differences of opinion to be aired in committee on the front end, because you don&#8217;t want those difficulties when the bill comes out of committee on the House floor. Let&#8217;s have the opportunity to have an open amendment process in committee so that you forge that consensus at the beginning of the legislative process, so that the bills that are brought to House floor actually have a meaningful chance of passing.&#8221;

George Stephanopoulos

George Stephanopoulos Predicts Chaos From McCarthy’s Speakership. His Republican Guests Aren’t Having It.

George Stephanopoulos Predicts Chaos From McCarthy's Speakership. His Republican Guests Aren't Having It.

House Republicans

House Speaker

This Week

The ongoing battle for the office of Speaker of the House crossed another historical milestone today as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy">Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy</a> came up short once again in the 11th round. The election for speaker has not gone past 1 ballot in the last 100 years, and ballots have not reached into double digits since the Civil War.
Despite the political melodrama, contested elections for speaker are <a href="https://history.house.gov/People/Office/Speakers-Multiple-Ballots/">not unprecedented</a> in American history — fully ⅓ of the first 30 Congresses did not select their Speaker of the House on the first ballot, although the majority of these contests were settled in the 2nd or 3rd round. Only four lasted into the double digits, and only two took more ballots than the election of 2023. In 1819, the Speaker was decided on the 22nd ballot, and in 1821, the contest was decided in the 12th round.
<div id="attachment_485205" style="width: 545px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-485205" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-485205" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/US-House-Speaker-Elections-300x248.png" alt="" width="535" height="442" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/US-House-Speaker-Elections-300x248.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/US-House-Speaker-Elections-697x576.png 697w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/US-House-Speaker-Elections-768x635.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/US-House-Speaker-Elections.png 1324w" sizes="(max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px" />Courtesy of History.house.gov</div>
In this period of American history, the parties were less ideological and more coalitions of various interests, and party apparatuses were by necessity more decentralized, so some division and last minute leadership struggles were much more likely — battles within our early parties for control of the gavel were not earth shattering events.
Tensions in Congress became substantially higher in the lead up to the Civil War, as regional divisions became more and more inflamed and recriminations over the issue of slavery became more intense. The antebellum Whig Party, which had been a dominant force in American politics for decades, was in the process of fracturing as strong anti-slavery elements of the party were dissatisfied with its various compromises with the slave owning south — its disparate descendants (The American Party, the Opposition Party, the Free Soil Party, the Know Nothing Party, etc) would struggle for dominance over the next decade until the Republican Party emerged victorious.
Many of these leadership struggles took place in the House, where the much more populous free states of the North had greater representation.
Grudge match Speaker elections are something of a Republican Party tradition.
Between 1849 to 1860, half of all Congresses failed to elect a Speaker on the first ballot.
In 1849, the Democrats had won a plurality of 113 seats in the 31st Congress, but fallen short of the 117 majority threshold. The Whigs had won 107, but their breakaway factions in the Free Soil and Know Nothing (so named because when their supporters were asked questions about their policies, they would often respond “I know nothing”) had won 10 seats, and if the anti-Democratic forces could coalesce, they would have been able to wrest control of the gavel away from the Democrats.
Instead, both parties saw defections in a bitter, drawn-out election that lasted for over 19 days across 63 ballots. After 59 attempts, Congress agreed that if no majority could be reached in the next three ballots, the contest would be settled by a plurality rather than a majority vote (this has been floated by some as a possible solution to our current standoff).
However, even with the threat of a Democratic victory, the Whigs and their breakaways were unable to coalesce, and Democrat Howell Cobb of Georgia ultimately prevailed with 102 votes — the three leading anti-Democrat candidates had a combined count of 111.
The 34th Congress was even more chaotic. In the aftermath of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which had scrapped the Missouri Compromise to allow slavery north of the Mason-Dixon Line, the Whig Party had completely imploded. Control of the House was split between the American (Know Nothing), Opposition (a fusion of Republicans, Free Soilers, and a few intransigent Whigs), and Democratic Parties, none of whom had anything close to a majority. Once again, the combined anti-Democratic coalition did have a majority, this time an overwhelming one, but with no unified structure, they struggled to rally behind a leader.
Six members of the Opposition bloc and three members of the American bloc were nominated for Speaker on the first ballot, alongside two Democratic candidates. The knock-down, drag-out slugfest for the Speaker’s gavel would last for a grueling two months, and 135 candidates for the office received votes over the course of 133 rounds.
“This is not a mere contest as to a Speaker of the House; it is but an incident in a long and arduous struggle which is to determine whether slavery will be the pole star of our National career,” Horace Greeley, founder of the New York Tribune, <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JqmW7l6z8XDGtHj009ZtP0_LtvFcpxJDuFVTp0rRKus/edit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> at the time.
Once again, spirits flagged and the Congress consented to a plurality vote once it was clear that no majority could be reached. But, while a Democrat had won a sizable plurality in the first round, the anti-slavery factions were able to rally around the Know Nothing Congressman Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts as a compromise candidate. Banks had only won 21 votes on the first ballot, but was able to cobble together 103 in the final round, edging out Democrat William Aiken Jr (SC) by three votes.
The issue of slavery continued to divide the nation and opposition to it became the loadstar of the inchoate Republican Party. The Grand Old Party (which is actually several decades younger than the Democratic Party) was founded in 1854, but had emerged as the center of Democratic opposition until around 1856, when it nominated its first Presidential Candidate, John C. Fremont — the aforementioned Speaker of the House, Nathaniel Banks, would later join the Republicans.
By 1859, the Republicans had won a plurality in the 36th Congress, but not a majority, so once again there was a drawn out battle for control of the gavel that lasted for roughly eight weeks and 44 ballots, well into 1860. Freshman Congressman William Penington (NJ), who was not nominated in the <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/ll/llcg/051/0000/00800002.tif" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first round</a> and received only his own vote, eventually emerged as the winner and the first Republican to ever have been elected Speaker, but the bitterness over the struggle and the alienation of Southern Democrats was so intense that some historians believe it was a contributing factor toward the secession of many Southern States two years later.
This was the last time a Speaker battle lasted for more than nine rounds.
By contrast, the most recent contested speaker election, a satisfying century before our own, was fairly tame — Republicans won a clear majority, but 22 of the party’s most progressive members refused to back the front runner, the incumbent Frederick H. Gillet (MA), for the first eight ballots, until they were granted several concessions by leadership, including a seat on the House rules committee and a pledge that several rule changes would be considered.
History may not repeat, exactly, but it certainly rhymes.
McCarthy is in a weaker position than Gillet, as he is not the incumbent Speaker, but the situation he’s facing is far closer to 1923 than 1860 or 1849. As divided as the Republican Party is, it is at least a single, coherent party, and as <a href="https://www.ussc.edu.au/analysis/america-more-divided-than-at-any-time-since-civil-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polarized</a> as we are, this battle is unlikely to lead us into another Civil War.
Fingers crossed.

1793-2023: An Overview Of Contested Speaker Elections

American History

Civil War

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN&#8217;s</a> John King used Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s tragic medical emergency this week to attack the Republican Party as members of Congress try to figure out who will become the next House Speaker.
King&#8217;s comments come as 20 House Republicans refuse to back Rep. Kevin McCarthy&#8217;s (R-CA) bid for House Speaker, which has resulted in Congress not being able to do anything because none of the members can be sworn into office.
&#8220;Especially when you have a small majority, you have to accept your responsibility as a member of the team,&#8221; King said. &#8220;Pick your business, pick your sport. Imagine if a baseball team goes on the field and after two pitches, the right fielder decides, I want to pitch. It can&#8217;t work that way. Someone has to be in charge. Someone has to be in charge of any organization. That doesn&#8217;t mean you always agree with your boss, you don&#8217;t always agree with your manager. You don&#8217;t always agree with your coach.&#8221;
King then used Hamlin&#8217;s cardiac arrest on the field earlier this week to attack House Republicans.
&#8220;Imagine those two doctors we just listened to who treated and all the people in the field who cared for that Buffalo Bills player, if somebody said no — or no, I want to do the other job, it doesn&#8217;t work that way,&#8221; he said. &#8220;When you&#8217;re on a team, you have to — yes, yes, you go to the boss&#8217; office and you say, I want this, I want this, I want this, but eventually, somebody has to make a decision. And you have to accept the responsibility of the government.&#8221;
&#8220;They don&#8217;t want that responsibility,&#8221; he claimed. &#8220;They don&#8217;t care about that responsibility. They don&#8217;t respect that responsibility.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Disgusting: CNN invokes Damar Hamlin&#39;s cardiac arrest to warn against GOP lawmakers. &quot;Imagine those two doctors that we just listened to who treated, and all of the people on the field who treated the Buffalo Bills player if they said, &#39;no, [I don&#39;t want to function as a team]&#39;&quot; <a href="https://t.co/y1xbrSjLu6">pic.twitter.com/y1xbrSjLu6</a>
&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1611098978195591189?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: And, John, one of the things that you hear from a lot of the McCarthy supporters, who again might not even be super enthusiastic about him but just want to get down to work is that the rules changes that these rebels have already exacted from McCarthy or whoever ends up to being speaker because it&#8217;s not like the next person is going to go back on that are going to make legislating close to impossible.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: And so, whoever wins the speakership, will that person be Speaker for a week, a month, by August when you have to do the debt ceiling, and that means you have to be responsible &#8212; and responsible, I think is the word here, respecting the system, the organization, the government. Dana, I think, put it as plainly as you can, they don&#8217;t care. They don&#8217;t care.
Especially when you have a small majority, you have to accept your responsibility as a member of the team. Pick your &#8212; pick your business, pick your sport. Imagine if a baseball team goes on the field and after two pitches, the right fielder decides, I want to pitch. It can&#8217;t work that way. Someone has to be in charge. Someone has to be in charge of any organization. That doesn&#8217;t mean you always agree with your boss, you don&#8217;t always agree with your manager. You don&#8217;t always agree with your coach.
Imagine those two doctors we just listened to who treated, and all the people in the field who cared for that Buffalo Bills player, if somebody said no &#8212; or no, I want to do the other job, it doesn&#8217;t work that way. When you&#8217;re on a team, you have to — yes, yes, you go to the boss&#8217; office and you say, I want this, I want this, I want this, but eventually, somebody has to make a decision. And you have to accept the responsibility of the government.
They don&#8217;t want that responsibility. They don&#8217;t care about that responsibility. They don&#8217;t respect that responsibility.
TAPPER: Yes.
KING: So, 58 days after the American people, everybody thought, every historical marker said Republicans would win 20 seats, maybe 30 seats, maybe more, they won 10. They lost the seat in the Senate. Why? Because the American people said we don&#8217;t want crazy. We’ll take a center right, but we won&#8217;t take center crazy. What are we getting in the House right now? Crazy.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-endorses-candidate-for-house-speaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk Endorses Candidate For House Speaker</a>

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WATCH: CNN Uses Damar Hamlin’s Cardiac Arrest To Attack Republicans

WATCH: CNN Uses Damar Hamlin's Cardiac Arrest To Attack Republicans

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