NO LIMITS

What Kevin McCarthy will do to gain power.

- JONATHAN BLITZER

On the afternoon of November 15th, a congressional intern in a suit and tie sprinted down a wing of the Capitol carrying a cardboard box with a slit on the top for paper ballots, then disappeared into an auditorium. Inside, the House Republican conference was electing its new leaders. This was the first of two votes. The second will come on January 3rd, on the floor of the House of Representatives. There still wasn’t a clear majority for either party, but it was likely that the Republicans would flip the chamber, and the winner of the voting would become the front-runner for Speaker, second in line for the Presidency. Dozens of journalists sat on the floor outside, preparing for a long afternoon. Two more staffers carrying ballot boxes ran past. “Stop the steal!” a reporter shouted after them.

Four hours later, Kevin McCarthy, a f ifty-seven-year-old congressman from Bakersfield, California, emerged with an exaggerated smile. McCarthy, who has more than a decade of service in the G.O.P. leadership, has feathery gray hair and was wearing a tailored navy suit. He had received a hundred and eighty-eight votes, about eightyfive per cent of the conference. “I’m proud to announce the era of one-party Democrat rule in Washington is over,” he said.