ANALYSIS: McCarthy Emerges Stronger From Debt Ceiling Battle

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is no longer the underrated quarterback of the House of Representatives.
Despite being drafted in the 15th round and persistently ignored by President Joe Biden, the dogged Californian succeeded in compelling the president to negotiate, standing firm on red-line issues, and moving a debt ceiling bill through Congress despite holding a razor-thin majority.
With the passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, McCarthy, 58, emerged as a skilled strategist and consensus builder who can leverage small wins into major legislative achievements.
Just weeks before, he was fighting for his political life.
15 Ballots
The election of a House speaker is usually a perfunctory matter. When there is no incumbent, the majority conference leader is considered a shoo-in. That wasn’t the case for McCarthy….}