Why is Kevin McCarthy unpopular? House Speaker struggle explored 

Kevin McCarthy underwent another major struggle in his second bid to become the House Speaker and prompted the House of Representatives to adjourn without a new speaker on Tuesday after he lost three ballots in the face of opposition.

McCarthy only managed to secure 203 votes in the first round, against a majority of 218 he needed to be appointed as the speaker. The California Republican faced opposition from 19 members of his own party, who reportedly voted for the other candidates.

Prior to McCarthy’s election results, the vote for a new speaker went past the first ballot nearly 100 years ago in 1923. Kevin McCarthy’s loss further highlighted the differences between the hardliners and moderates that are likely to complicate the Republican's majority in the House.

After McCarthy’s loss on the first two ballots, his top deputy, Rep. Steve Scalise, nominated him once again. The nomination prompted a third round of voting but failed to bring success to the former.

McCarthy not only failed to secure his position during the third ballot but allegedly lost additional support after Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida defected and voted for Jim Jordan, per the official House tally. The minority leader fell to 202 votes after the third round.

Before the elections, Kevin McCarthy’s team worked hard to secure votes for him during the holiday season. The politician also started giving in to demands and promised to allow his House to probe into Hunter Biden’s businesses and take care of the treatment of the individuals charged and detained for their alleged roles in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

McCarthy also mentioned that he is open to the idea of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the conditions on the U.S.-Mexican border, and said that he is considering other investigations against President Joe Biden and his administration.

Despite accepting numerous demands, the Republican failed to secure a strong and reliable support system. The former House Majority Leader has long been an unpopular choice for the position of House Speaker, and GOP members have been divided on their opinion of the politician.

The 19 Republicans who voted against Kevin McCarthy are Rep. Matt Gaez, Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Scott Perry, Rep. Chip Roy, Rep. Matt Rosendale, Rep. Paul Gosar, Rep. Andy Harris, Rep. Dan Bishop, Rep. Michael Cloud, Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Bob Good, Rep. Andrew Clyde and Rep. Ralph Norman.

Others who voted against McCarthy also included Reps.-elect Eli Crane, Josh Brecheen, Anna Paulina Luna, Mary Miller, Keith Self, and Andy Ogles. Reports suggest that the House will reconvene, with a fourth round of voting likely to take place on Wednesday.

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Exploring why Kevin McCarthy is an unpopular choice for House Speaker

Kevin McCarthy has continued to struggle to receive support from GOP members for House speakership (Image via Getty Images)

Kevin McCarthy served as House Majority Leader from 2014 to 2019 and has been serving as House Minority Leader since 2019.

He was the U.S. representative for California's 22nd congressional district between 2007 and 2013 and is currently serving his eighth term in Congress for the 23rd district, a role he has held since 2013.

However, McCarthy recently failed to win the Speakership on three rounds of ballots upon the start of the 118th Congress in a “historic defeat” despite being in leadership for nearly a decade.

According to a CNN/SSRS poll conducted last month, the politician’s net favorable rating among Republicans was +30 points.

While the rating is not considered to be bad, it is not completely significant either, especially compared to previous speakers like John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi's net favorability ratings, which were above +50 points in 2010 and 2006, respectively.

McCarthy reportedly has the second-lowest net favorability rating among Republicans among all first-time potential speakers in the last 28 years, with Newt Gingrich having a comparatively lower +24 points in late 1994.

According to CNN, reports from the poll suggest that while McCarthy is liked by Republicans, he is certainly not a favorite. This makes him lack the support he requires to secure the position of House Speaker.

The publication also noted that Kevin McCarthy has a “historically small majority” for a potential first-time speaker. He is also unpopular compared to other members who have attempted to take on the role of House Speaker in the past.

Reports suggest that no potential first-time House speaker has had such a small majority as McCarthy since Democrat John Nance Garner back in 1931.

While Kevin McCarthy’s energy and jovial approach helped him establish his position as a congressman, he allegedly never focused on a particularly strong political ideology, per The Atlantic.

Back in 2015, McCarthy had the chance to take upon the role of House Speaker after the-then Speaker John Boehner resigned from the role. However, he abruptly withdrew from the race after realizing that he failed to garner mass support from GOP members.

After failing to achieve speakership in 2015, Kevin McCarthy spent several years working to stay in the good books of former President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, a group of conservatives continued to extract demands from the politician despite remaining distrustful of his abilities.

McCarthy continued to back Trump even after The Washington Post published a tape in 2016 revealing the former President allegedly boasting about assaulting women. While the incident made many Republicans doubtful, the former held his ground.

When Trump won the U.S. presidential election, he was vocal about his love for McCarthy. And while the latter made personal gains from the association, he failed to establish his own support system within the party.

While Kevin McCarthy briefly expressed his disappointment with Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and said in private that he would ask the president to resign, he immediately flew to Mar-a-Lago to mend the situation.

The congressman even denied making the comments until his private remarks were made available to the public. Despite the situation, McCarthy continued to remain close to Trump for the next two years.

McCarthy faced some challenges with Marjorie Taylor Greene but eventually aligned with the latter, prompting her to become an ally. He also continued to earn consistent support from Trump.

Meanwhile, he also expected to receive major support from GOP members ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. However, Kevin McCarthy's bid for speakership became highly debatable as several Republicans failed to provide him with complete support.