Republican voters weigh in on US House Speaker gridlock

A group of right-wing Republican rebels have upended what was supposed to be a formality vote for Speaker of the House, causing chaos on the Capitol.

No business can be undertaken within the House until a Speaker has been chosen, which means that the US government is currently at a stalemate.

As the House Speaker vote rolls into the double digits, Republican voters share their thoughts on what is going on at the Capitol with their elected officials.

Brooke Riske, who grew up in a Republican family in conservative North Carolina, says her top priorities are constitutional protections and curbing government corruption.

I'm energised by the Republicans holding out and opposing Kevin McCarthy. Iron sharpens iron and if McCarthy wants to lead the party, then here is his first chance to prove himself. I feel Americans should be encouraged by healthy debate and disagreement. That's as American as it can get when you really think about the history and founding of this country. At least some of our members of Congress are willing to speak up, even when it's unpopular. Blind rubber stamping and party politics benefits the politicians, not the American people. I find this very interesting and think it's a cool process to watch play out. A small minority is attempting to create significant change in the party.

Rom Solene does not like Kevin McCarthy and views him as part of the problem with Washington. The 61-year-old says he admired former President Donald Trump's ability to shake up the establishment.

I've been following the Speaker vote very closely. Personally, I'm very happy to see this kind of debate and push-back. In my opinion, our representatives have lacked the fortitude to question the status quo for far too long. This kind of debate and negotiation should be the norm, not the exception, on all matters that come up for vote.

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After the events of the past several days, I'm more convinced than ever that McCarthy is not a strong leader and should step aside. A strong leader would stand on his principles and not negotiate them away in an effort to hold on to power, as McCarthy has been doing with each successive vote. A strong leader would have the ability to get his caucus in line behind him and to quickly and effectively deal with anyone not toeing the line.

Vinod Jeyakaran became a US citizen in 2019. His top issues are abortion, the economy and border security.

With regard to the ongoing vote fiasco, that's exactly what it is. I think it is high time that all Republicans rally around Kevin McCarthy. The lack of cohesion sends the wrong signal to the Democrats - so I do hope that the remaining Republicans that are currently opposed to Representative McCarthy will be able to come to a reasonable compromise and back him.

I think Representative McCarthy is a good leader and has important work to do over the next two years. He needs all the backing and a cohesive Republican majority in the House.

Noah Slayter is an anti-abortion activist from Northern Virginia, attending college in Washington, DC.

I do care about the Speaker vote. I think Congress should do everything in its power to work effectively and, at same time, have a Speaker who represents their constituents. Kevin McCarthy portrays an image to work for all Americans, which is good. I think the dissenters have legitimate concerns about things McCarthy has said in the past, though. I think we should end this stalemate as soon possible to get back to work, but they need to pick the right Speaker. We should have representatives voting for a candidate they truly believe in.