Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado said he had “a number of conversations” with Kevin McCarthy and told the House GOP leader he needed to reach a deal with members who oppose his presidency or retire.
McCarthy “needs to figure out how to get a deal done in order to move forward and keep it simple,” Buck said, then referring to Rep. Steve Scalise.
“I said to Kevin at one point, you know, you have to make sure that you either have to make a deal or give Steve [Scalise] a chance or others a chance to see if they can put it together. My feeling is Kevin gets more votes than anybody else,” Buck told reporters outside the House chamber.
“There are some of those 20 who just won’t vote for Kevin McCarthy but would vote for someone else. There are others… who want changes in the rules and there are others who care about politics I think if Steve meets those three needs, he can step forward and speak up,” Buck told CNN’s Dana Bash shortly after speaking with reporters. .
Buck told CNN that “today the conference as a whole has to make a decision.”
Buck told reporters the House was in “a state of disarray and chaos”, but he remains “optimistic”.
“All you need is one, two votes, okay, then you get a speaker, get sworn in, and move on,” Buck said.
“I shouldn’t call him by name, but there are people who have personal disagreements, and the margin is so small that those people could make a difference,” Buck said.
