美国国会议员竞选众议院议长

AS IT IS 2015-10-09 US Congressman¹ Drops Out of Race for House Speaker 美国国会议员竞选众议院议长

California Congressman Kevin McCarthy has dropped out of the race for one of the most powerful positions in the United States.

Mr. McCarthy, a member of the Republican Party, is the current majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

He was expected to become the next Speaker of the House. The position is third in line to the presidency². The speaker would become president if something happened to both President Barack Obama and Vice³ President Joe Biden.

On Wednesday, the House Freedom Caucus⁴ voted to support another lawmaker, Daniel Webster from Florida, in the speaker’s race. The conservative group rejected Mr. McCarthy, who would need a majority of the 247 House Republicans to win election.

Mr. McCarthy shocked other lawmakers on Thursday, telling them that he is not the right person for the job. He asked to delay the election for a new speaker. In a press conference later, he said that, “we need a new face.”  The congressman will remain as majority leader.

“There was total shock, and then total silence,” Representative Robert Pittenger told the Associated Press about the closed-door meeting. Another congressman, Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania, said, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The House Freedom Caucus is a group of 30 conservative lawmakers in the House. They sometimes vote together to test the Republican leadership in Congress.

Less than two weeks ago, Speaker John Boehner announced his resignation. In his five years as speaker, conservative Republicans have repeatedly tested his leadership. Other Republicans, like Paul Ryan, a former vice-presidential candidate, have chosen not to be considered for the speaker’s position. The two remaining announced candidates are Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Congressman, and Mr. Webster of Florida.

Representative John Fleming of Louisiana is a member of the Freedom Caucus. After Mr. McCarthy’s announcement, he said, “We feel that conservatives have been greatly marginalized by the current leadership.”

Words in This Story

caucus – n. a group of people with shared concerns within a political party or larger group

marginalized – v. treating someone or something as unimportant

1 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

2 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。