Current House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy will likely become the next speaker of the House as Republicans banded together to support McCarthy over Arizona's Andy Biggs.
Now, Republicans will need ensure there are 218 votes for McCarthy when the next Congress begins in January.
That could be a challenge as Republicans are expected to take the majority with a narrow margin as Democrats in several competitive districts outperformed projections in several competitive seats.
If elected to succeed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the top post, McCarthy would lead what will likely be a rowdy conference of House Republicans, most of whom are aligned with Trump’s bare-knuckle brand of politics. Many Republicans in the incoming Congress rejected the results of the 2020 presidential election, even though claims of widespread fraud were refuted by courts, elections officials and Trump’s own attorney general.
