Why Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Breaking With MAGA to Support Kevin McCarthy

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is breaking with some of her closest allies to support Kevin McCarthy's speaker bid.

McCarthy, a California Republican who is the House minority leader, is in for a tougher-than-expected speaker race after Republicans flipped only a handful of House seats in the midterms last month. The biggest threat to a speakership at this point is a right-wing challenger from Arizona, Representative Andy Biggs.

Should Biggs receive enough support from the Republican Party's right flank, he could derail McCarthy's bid. Several high-profile MAGA Republicans—including Florida Representative Matt Gaetz and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert—have indicated they might withhold support for McCarthy unless he meets conservative demands.

Greene, a Georgia Republican who is viewed as among the most conservative members of the House, is one notable exception. Once a McCarthy critic, Greene has rallied behind McCarthy, calling on the GOP to show unity in supporting his speakership—finding herself at odds with other right-wing Republicans.

In a December 1 interview on The Jenna Ellis Show, Greene defended her support for McCarthy as a pragmatic, realistic effort to pass conservative policy. She added that she had "not compromised anything" to give him support.

"Nothing can happen until we elect a speaker on January 3. And I think it's our job as representatives of the people to get our act together and show the American people that Republicans can lead in the majority and that we're willing to do that," she said.

Tensions between Greene and her allies have grown over the speaker race, after Greene criticized Boebert for withholding support from McCarthy, dismissing her alleged focus on "high school drama and media sound bites."

In a lengthy Twitter thread Tuesday afternoon, Greene further explained why she is backing McCarthy.

"The Speaker is elected inside our conference that unfortunately for us conservatives is filled with too many moderates and it's IMPOSSIBLE for a conservative to get 218 votes," Greene wrote. "My friends know this and risking the gavel & delaying everything just bc they don't like someone is not only selfish, it's incredibly reckless and dangerous."

She added that she puts her "own feelings aside" and supports someone based on "their ability to get the job done that I believe is important for the country and the American people.

Greene began meeting with McCarthy earlier this year and learned that their goals are aligned, she wrote. She offered praise for his stance on a number of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration and free speech.

"The most underestimated things about Kevin McCarthy is how he thinks & feels after being wrongfully politically targeted by the J6 committee just like Trump and all of us, after being wrongfully politically rejected by Corporate donors for objecting on J6, and his stance towards the Chamber of Commerce for their wokeness and treatment towards Conservative values," Greene tweeted.

Greene Eyes Oversight Committee in GOP-Led House

McCarthy has said he plans to reinstate Greene's committee assignments—though other potential GOP speakers might do the same. In February of 2021, House Democrats, along with 11 Republicans, voted to strip Greene of her committee seats because of her endorsement of extremist conspiracy theories on social media.

She shared posts allegedly advocating for violence against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, claiming that a plane never hit the Pentagon during the September 11 terrorist attack and that a space laser started a California wildfire to benefit a Jewish bank.

She said in September of 2021 that McCarthy promised she will "of course" get her committee assignments back in a GOP-controlled House. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she is seeking a position on the powerful Oversight Committee in efforts to launch investigations into the Biden administration.

Experts Weigh in on Greene's Support for McCarthy

Diana Evans, a professor emerita of political science at Trinity College, told Newsweek that every Republican member of Congress "is in a strong bargaining position" because of their small majority, and that anti-McCarthy Republicans are using their leverage to bargain for changes in rules ofthe new Congress.

"With this new majority, I think that the Freedom Caucus wants to strip the speaker of some very, very important powers," Evans said.

Evans pointed to reports that these conservatives want to modify rules on how the House votes on certain amendments, guarantees that members will have 72 hours to read a bill before voting, and specify that bills that come to the floor can be on only one subject.

She said Greene might be supporting McCarthy to guarantee a position on the Oversight Committee, describing Greene as an "important ally" for McCarthy.

Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at the City University of New York, told Newsweek that the internal battle for the speakership is likely more about the tone and style of the GOP, rather than a specific policy debate. He said he believes Greene is backing McCarthy to elevate her position in the party.

"It's about gaining concessions from Kevin McCarthy to grant her this elevated position in the party," Brown said. "Not to pursue a policy agenda, but to pursue an attitudinal agenda."

He predicted that McCarthy will ultimately win enough support to become the House speaker, but that "harm will be done to his speakership" due to resistance from some conservatives.

"He won't come in with the same amount of party loyalty as Republican speakers might have had in the past," Brown said.

Greene: Anti-McCarthy Republicans Have 'No Plan'

Greene, in a statement to Newsweek on Tuesday, doubled down on her support for McCarthy.

"The Never Kevin Caucus has no plan and no candidate. They need to stop misleading the base," Greene wrote.

Specifically, she questioned why Gaetz would suggest he might support Representative Steve Scalise, of Louisiana, for the speakership.

"When I heard my friend Matt Gaetz say he'd support Steve Scalise, I asked why Matt, who was the first to go to Wyoming to campaign against Liz Cheney, would support Scalise, who was the only member of leadership who didn't support Harriet Hageman against Liz Cheney," Greene wrote.

Update 12/20/22, 4:56 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Diana Evans.