GOP Rep. Comer: There's "overwhelming support" for McCarthy to become speaker

• Earlier this month, McCarthy cleared a major hurdle for the position after House Republicans voted 188-31 by secret ballot to nominate him for the role.
• He still fell far short of the 218 votes he will need to secure for the full House vote on Jan. 3.

What they're saying: "I'm of the opinion that on Jan. 3 we'll come together as a conference and elect Kevin McCarthy to be speaker of the House," Comer said.

• Comer acknowledged that there are "five to eight" members who are leaning toward voting against McCarthy, whom he said "have a right to support whoever they want."
• "Certainly there's been instances in the past that certain Republicans' voices weren't heard in the conference. But at the end of the day, we need to give Kevin a chance," Comer said.
• "I think a lot of these members are frustrated because of things that Paul Ryan did, or things that John Boehner did," he added. "Kevin McCarthy's never had a chance to be speaker."