Sunday shows preview: Talk of Speakership election likely to dominate

Saturday morning’s breakthrough vote that secured Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) election as Speaker, as well House Republicans’ drawn-out struggle to get to that point, will likely dominate the Sunday talk show circuit this weekend.

McCarthy achieved his long-awaited dream of becoming Speaker in a vote on Saturday shortly after midnight, after convincing the six remaining Republican holdouts to vote “present” on the 15th ballot.

In a dramatic series of events that played out live on the House floor, McCarthy’s allies returned late Friday night apparently confident that they had sufficient votes for the California congressman’s Speakership bid.

However, McCarthy fell one vote short on the 14th ballot, even after convincing both Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to change their votes to present.

The failed vote triggered a brief showdown between Gaetz and McCarthy allies on the floor, which eventually led to a call for a motion to adjourn for the weekend that was supported by most Republicans.

As the vote was about to close, McCarthy appeared to broker a last-minute deal with the holdouts and ran to the dais to change his vote, alongside several other Republicans. With a majority voting against the motion to adjourn, the House vote for a 15th and final time on the Speakership.

The vote was the culmination of a week of drama that put on full display the schism between the leadership of the Republican Party and its far-right wing.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who is set to join CBS’s “Face the Nation” this weekend, lashed out at the anti-McCarthy squad, and Gaetz in particular, earlier this week.

“@RepMattGaetz full ego was on display today. He’s going to screw around and get another [Rep. Nancy] Pelosi [D-Calif.] elected Speaker. I’ll have a lot more to say about this political D-Lister tomorrow,” Mace said on Twitter.

Another McCarthy supporter, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), labeled the hard-line group as “enemies” amid the infighting. Crenshaw is set to join CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

“They are enemies now,” he told CNN on Tuesday. “They have made it clear that they prefer a Democrat agenda than a Republican one.”

Several of the anti-McCarthy group are also set to join the Sunday talks shows. Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) will appear on ABC’s “This Week,” CNN’s “State of the Union” and Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” respectively.

All three Republicans opposed McCarthy’s Speakership most of the week. However, they were among the 14 members of the group to capitulate earlier on Friday after reaching a deal with McCarthy. Roy was considered particularly instrumental in brokering the deal.

“We’re at a turning point. I’ve negotiated in good faith, with one purpose: to restore the People’s House back to its rightful owners,” Perry said in a statement on Friday. “The framework for an agreement is in place, so in a good-faith effort, I voted to restore the People’s House by voting for McCarthy.”

While Republicans struggled to reach a consensus with their newfound majority in the House, Democrats basked in their 15 unanimous votes for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). Jeffries and his second-in-command, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), are set to join NBC’s “Meet the Press” and CNN’s “State of the Union” this weekend.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Andy Barr (R-Ky.); U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and James Comer (R-Ky.)

CBS’s “Face the Nation” — Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas); Sen. Angus King (I-Maine); Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Colin Allred (D-Texas)

“Fox News Sunday” — Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R); Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.); former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R)