Representatives Spanberger and Good weigh in on removal of McCarthy as speaker

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - There is a slew of uncertainty in Washington, DC after the ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The University of Virginia Center for Politics says what we are seeing is a symptom of turmoil in the House of Representatives.

“If you don’t have a speaker, and you don’t have a functioning majority, then chaos and anarchy result,” Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato said Wednesday, October 4.

With a 216-210 vote, McCarthy lost his position yesterday.

7th District Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) says voting McCarthy out as speaker was an easy decision.

“A man who has demonstrated no principle, who’s brought us to the brink twice, and who has demonstrated zero willingness to either change his leadership style, or indeed the rules of the House, for the sake of governance is not someone who should continue in that role,” Spanberger said.

Sabato says those who voted against their own party’s selection were mainly far-Right Republicans.

“There were eight Republicans who were willing to oust McCarthy, one of them was the Congressman representing this area, Bob Good,” the director said.

5th District Rep. Good (R) says McCarthy was not enacting the policy changes he was put in place to do, so it’s onto the next.

“We want to get it right with the best speaker that we can put forth and that will help lead the change the American people voted for when they gave us the House majority back last November,” Good said.

All three agree the most important thing now is to fill that speaker spot.

“You can’t move along with a temporary speaker who doesn’t even have the full powers of the speakership,” Sabato said.

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