As the battle for the Speaker of the House continues, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) floated the idea of a possible “coalition government” in order to fill the void.
Ocasio-Cortez is suggesting that McCarthy negotiate with Democrats if he can’t win the Speakership from his own party.
In an interview on MSNBC she said, “I do not believe that Kevin McCarthy has the votes. I believe that a lot of the opposition to him is very personal. I believe his leadership style is incompatible with a lot of Republican members and certainly the Democratic Caucus.”
“So the question is, is there anyone in their caucus that can build that consensus? If there isn’t, McCarthy’s team may have to come to the Democratic Party. And, if that’s the case, then what would that even look like? It’s rather unprecedented. Could it result in a potential coalition government?” she asked. “Could we get Democratic chairs of committees as a result?”
It’s ridiculous to believe that McCarthy would have to beg the Democrats for votes and abandon his party to become Speaker. She suggested that Democrats would remain in charge of powerful House committees but would absolutely not happen.
“I’m not saying necessarily that our party is signaling an openness just yet,” she said in the interview. “But, really, it’s about the cards that are in McCarthy’s hands. And if he chooses to approach the Democratic Caucus, then that would be a negotiation, in and of itself, for a potential coalition government. But, again, this is very much an unprecedented time.”