Even Marjorie Taylor Greene And Lauren Boebert Are Fighting Over McCarthy’s Speakership Bid

Topline

Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid, thrown into chaos by Republicans’ worse-than-expected midterm performance, has created such deep divisions in the party, it prompted a public spat between two of the GOP’s most prolific Trump supporters: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).

Key Facts

Boebert said she doesn’t agree with Greene’s support for McCarthy or Greene’s “Jewish space laser” theory, she recently told Charlie Kirk, referring to Greene’s previous suggestion that the Rothschild family, a frequent target of antisemitic conspiracy theories, used “lasers” to start the deadly 2018 California wildfires.

Boebert, however, did not definitively say she would vote against McCarthy for speaker.

Greene fired back in a tweet that accused Boebert of “childishly” criticizing her “for a cheap sound bite,” while also noting she, former President Donald Trump and McCarthy have all donated to and publicly supported Boebert.

The feud is indicative of the deep divisions within the Republican party in the wake of the party’s midterm losses, infighting that extends to its most conservative factions–several members of the House Freedom Caucus, to which Boebert and Greene both belong, publicly oppose McCarthy for speaker, with other right-leaning GOP figures, including former President Donald Trump and Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), supporting him.

Key Background

McCarthy’s longtime aspirations of becoming speaker were thrown into jeopardy in the wake of the party’s underperformance in the midterm election, when the GOP won a slim, four-seat majority in the House. Knowing McCarthy needs the support of nearly every GOP member to secure the 218 votes to win, a conservative coalition of House members seized upon the narrow margin to wage a challenge to McCarthy and negotiate a list of demands in exchange for their votes. Five Freedom Caucus members, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) and Ralph Norman (S.C.), have said they will vote as a bloc during the speakership elections on January 3. And one of them–Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.)–said he will run against McCarthy, after losing the speaker nomination to him in November. Seven other conservative Republicans, including Reps. Chip Roy (Tx.) and Scott Perry (Penn.), recently drafted a letter to colleagues that did not mention McCarthy by name, but called on incoming House leadership to implement a list of demands, including the ability to more easily eject the speaker. Boebert also supports the proposed rule change to what’s known as the “the motion to vacate,” which begins the process for removing the speaker and currently requires support from the majority of the caucus. The coalition of conservative House members are pushing McCarthy to change the rule so that one member can bring the motion.

Tangent

Ideologically and rhetorically, Boebert and Greene share many similarities–they are both ardent supporters of gun rights, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Trump, whose false election fraud claims they helped promote. They’re also aligned in their anti-immigration views and were infamously pictured together boisterously chanting “build the wall” during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech in March. But the two have reportedly sparred behind the scenes, including one argument over Greene’s attendance at an event hosted by white supremacist Nick Fuentes that nearly turned physical, Politico reported in April.

Further Reading

Republican Infighting Complicates McCarthy’s Quest For House Speaker—Here’s What Could Actually Happen (Forbes)

Did Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Blame A ‘Space Laser’ For Wildfires? Here’s The Response (Forbes)

Far-Right Boebert Pulls Ahead Of Long-Shot Opponent In Nail-Biter (Forbes)