Since Tuesday, the United States has been without a House speaker. The frontrunner, California Republican Kevin McCarthy, does not have the 218 votes he needs. That’s because several hardline Republicans — including Nashville Congressman-elect Andy Ogles — won’t back him. Ogles’ supporters are divided on the tactic.
The House speaker is usually selected within the first hour of a new Congress. But an intraparty divide has pitted establishment Republicans against members of the conservative Freedom Caucus.
Ogles has posted several times on Facebook this week, making it clear he would not back down from voting against McCarthy.
Some of his followers are cheering him on, including Jennifer Milele, a Mt. Juliet city commissioner.
“People standing up against the establishment to bring in some real changes that Washington needs, to rock the boat, is a good thing,” said Milele.
But some others say the fight is a pointless distraction. Beverly Knight-Hurley, president of the Nashville Republican Women, thinks Ogles ought to cut it out and get on to business.
“They’ve got a lot that they need to be doing and every day that they don’t elect somebody is a day off,” said Knight-Hurley.
Ogles has not yet been sworn in because of the stalemate. He didn’t respond to our requests for comment.
Others on Facebook expressed frustration that they have no one to call in Congress. That’s because without getting sworn in, members of Congress have no budget to begin opening their offices.
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