Nevada Republicans worry McCarthy ouster will hurt GOP’s ability to govern: Poll

The fallout from last week’s unprecedented ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) continues to reverberate beyond the nation’s capital.

A new poll commissioned by the Republican Main Street Partnership and Women2Women in conjunction with the Tarrance Group shows Nevada Republicans have some consternation about the future of the House GOP, which is trying to elect McCarthy’s replacement.

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The poll released on Thursday showed 68% of Nevada Republican primary voters think McCarthy’s ouster will have some degree of impact on the House GOP’s ability to govern and pass legislation. There may be some truth to that statistic, as House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) struggles to gain the 217 votes needed to become the next House speaker.

Scalise will immediately need to work with his conference and the Senate to pass the 12 appropriation bills needed to keep the government funded before the Nov. 17 deadline. But uniting his party may prove difficult, given House GOP opposition to funding Ukraine and increasing fiscal spending levels.

But some compromise will need to be reached, given that Democrats control the Senate and the White House, as well as Senate Republicans uniting on providing funding for Ukraine. Of the Nevada Republicans surveyed, 76% support Republicans working with Democrats in the House to seek compromise on bipartisan solutions for the top problems facing the nation.

“If the Republican Party wants to project an image of strength and stability, we need to get our House in order fast,” said Sarah Chamberlain, president and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership. “An overwhelming majority of Nevada GOP primary voters see Speaker McCarthy’s removal as a sign of the party’s dysfunction and inability to govern. Such public displays of chaos within our own ranks only confirm Democrats’ talking points and hurt our members in key swing districts come Election Day.”

Less than half of voters, 48%, approved of McCarthy’s removal, while 41% disapproved, and 11% were unsure, according to the poll. When it came to who should bear the blame for McCarthy’s fate, 27% of voters blamed McCarthy, 24% blamed Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who filed the motion to vacate, and 21% blamed the eight House Republicans who voted with all Democrats to remove McCarthy.

Chamberlain said that as international crises threaten world order, it is imperative that Republicans unite around a candidate for House speaker. “From the ongoing conflict in Israel to President Biden’s failed border policy, the country needs a unified Republican Party that can provide necessary leadership to address these challenges,” Chamberlain said. “Coalescing behind a Republican speaker that has the full support of the House Republican Conference is the first step in doing so.”

Chief among the top concerns the new House speaker will need to address is how much funding the United States will provide to Israel, which is engaged in war with Hamas after the terrorist group launched a surprise attack on Saturday. Israel has responded with retaliatory airstrikes, and as the sixth day of fighting continues, 2,500 people have died, including 25 American citizens.

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In the 2024 GOP primary race, former President Donald Trump remains the heavy favorite, with 60% preferring him over his rivals. Vivek Ramaswamy and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) are tied for second at 11% in a runner-up race, while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is in third place at 8%, with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence tied at 2%.

The poll was conducted Oct. 6-10 among 400 likely Nevada Republican voters statewide. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.