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You\u2019ve heard allies of Rep. Kevin McCarthy say it a gazillion times \u2014 and they\u2019ll say it another gazillion times over before the House speaker vote in January: You can\u2019t beat somebody with nobody.\nBut what if history repeats itself? What if McCarthy, as in his 2015 bid for the speakership, fails to appease the renegade right and falls short of the 218 votes he needs to seize the gavel?\nWith 31 House Republicans spurning McCarthy in Tuesday\u2019s nominating vote \u2014 and with McCarthy likely able to afford no more than three or four defections based on current election returns \u2014 the question is more than academic.\xa0\nTo be clear, Team McCarthy and most GOP lawmakers tell us they believe the California Republican will get 218 \u2014 eventually. But if he can\u2019t, Playbook co-author Rachael Bade stops by the show to discuss the most likely alternative members mentioned during our travels on the Hill this week.\nSubscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter\nRaghu Manavalan is the Host and Senior Editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.