Washington Post: “Instead of winning 218 votes — he only has 202 at the moment — he said Tuesday night that he only needs 213. That is one more vote than the 212 tallied by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the Democratic leader. The thinking is that a handful of Republicans could vote present or not vote during roll call, which would lower the threshold for the votes needed to be selected speaker.”
Said McCarthy: “You just have to get more votes than 212, where the Democrats are.”
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Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.