A former Republican aide to two past GOP House Speakers said in an op-ed published Monday that a “self-serving” move by a small group of Republicans to potentially deny House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) the Speakership would make a “mockery” of the institution of Congress. 

Brendan Buck, a communications consultant who previously worked for former Speakers John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), said in The New York Times op-ed that the “usual pageantry” and “fleeting” hope that the incoming Congress will be better than the last could be “immediately dashed” if the House fails to choose a Speaker on the first ballot. 

Buck said a “small band of Republican misfits” have pledged to vote against McCarthy for the Speakership, and only five Republican votes against him are needed to deny him the role. He said McCarthy should do “all within reason” to secure the votes he needs to win on the first ballot. 

“Otherwise, a self-serving power play by a small group of Republicans threatens to make a mockery of the institution and further cement the notion that the party is not prepared to lead,” Buck wrote. 

McCarthy needs to win a majority of the House members present and voting to become Speaker, but the GOP’s narrow majority in the body means he cannot afford more than four votes with all 222 GOP members are voting. 

A group of at least five Republicans have expressly said or strongly indicated they would not support McCarthy for Speaker, which would be enough to deny him victory at least on the first ballot. A larger number of Republicans have demanded McCarthy agree to certain rules to win their support.

McCarthy offered a series of concessions to his detractors in the House rules package proposed on Sunday, but it remains unclear if that will be enough to secure him the necessary support.

Buck noted that the last time the House did not choose a Speaker on the first ballot was a century ago and that it has happened only once since the Civil War. He said a failed vote would weaken McCarthy or whoever the next Speaker is. 

“But no matter who ultimately emerges as the top House Republican, the prolonged spectacle would leave the Republican majority hopelessly damaged from the start, along with the institution of the House itself,” he said. 

Buck said the House cannot conduct any other business until a Speaker is chosen, and the selection process can be time-consuming even when it goes smoothly. 

He said the House would allow members to make speeches in favor of a candidate if McCarthy does not win on the first ballot, which he said could “unleash a circus” in which GOP opponents to McCarthy question his fitness for the job on the floor. 

Buck also predicted that Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who is mounting a bid against McCarthy, would not win the leadership role and instead another Republican would be elected if McCarthy fails.

“But the agitators’ objective isn’t to win the speakership for one of their own; it is to weaken Mr. McCarthy or whoever emerges as the next speaker of the House. The embarrassment indeed may be the point,” Buck wrote.