Charles Tien on Congress and the Contested Speaker Election

CUNY Graduate Center

The U.S. politics expert joins The Thought Project to discuss the 118th Congress and the bruising election of Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Earlier this month, Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the House of Representatives without receiving the customary 218 votes. Rather, he won by using a rule that allowed only present votes to count, lowering the threshold for victory. During the drawn-out voting process, McCarthy haggled with 20 members of the Republican Freedom Caucus, who persisted in their opposition, and, in the end, he relinquished most of his discretionary power. The election of McCarthy, a Republican, marks a new chapter for the House of Representatives. With a nine-vote majority, Republicans in the chamber are calling for several investigations into the Biden administration and even threatening impeachment hearings. Today’s guest, Charles Tien, a professor of Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center and Hunter College, is well suited to discuss the ramifications of McCarthy’s victory and what lies ahead in the 118th Congress. Tien researches and teaches U.S. politics, women and minorities in politics, and voting and elections. He is also the co-editor of Polity, the Journal of the Northeastern Political Science Association. Listen in for his insights. ​