ABC News’ Jon Karl reported that the GOP’s disappointing results in the midterm elections mean Kevin McCarthy will face a bruising process in his quest to become Speaker of the House.

Karl joined George Stephanopoulos Sunday for This Week’s breakdown on how much leverage Democrats and Republicans have over Congress after the midterms. Since the red wave failed to materialize for the GOP, Democrats are currently poised to maintain their hold over the U.S. Senate, and the battle for a majority in the House of Representatives remains competitive.

Since Republicans are expected to secure a slim House majority in the low 220s instead of the commanding margin that was previously expected, Stephanopoulos remarked it will be “very hard for McCarthy to govern” this way if he does become speaker. Karl followed up on that by saying “McCarthy is not a lock on the speaker anymore.”

“There are, by my count, at least eight to ten Republicans that are adamant that they will not support Kevin McCarthy for speaker,” Karl said. “That said, there’s no alternative right now. But remember, you need 218 votes to be elected Speaker of the House, and he doesn’t have that. This is going to be a long brutal process when they come together and make that vote.”

Karl went on to predict that in terms of governing, McCarthy will be “pushed in the exact opposite direction than the party needs to go based on the lessons of these midterms” with the task of appeasing Donald Trump’s loyalists in the House.

“They can hold his speakership hostage at any time,” Karl summed up.

Watch above via ABC.

The post ABC’s Jon Karl Reports Kevin McCarthy is in For a ‘Long, Brutal’ Fight to Win Speakership: He’s ‘Not a Lock’ first appeared on Mediaite.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/gZjd3Fx