Republican Kevin McCarthy was dealt with yet another defeat on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 as he lost in the sixth round of voting to elect a House speaker.
This is a major blow that has heightened uncertainty over whether he can still secure the gavel or if a viable candidate will emerge as an alternative.
House Republicans struggled through the second day of balloting, unable to either elect their leader Kevin McCarthy as House speaker or come up with a new strategy to end the political chaos that has tarnished the start of their new majority.
It was the first time in 100 years that no nominee for House speaker could take the gavel on the first vote.
The House voted on Wednesday evening to adjourn until 12 p.m. ET on Thursday as Republicans scramble to find a path forward.
No progress at all was evident throughout the day of vote after vote after vote as Republicans tried to elevate McCarthy into the top job.
The ballots produced almost the same outcome, 20 conservative holdouts still refusing to support him and leaving him far short of the 218 votes typically needed to win the gavel.
In fact, McCarthy saw his support decline to 201, as one fellow Republican switched to vote simply present.
McCarthy, the California Republican, vowed to fight to the finish for the speaker’s job despite the grueling spectacle, unlike any in modern times, that threw the new majority into tumult for the first days of the new Congress.
Animated private discussions broke out on the chamber floor and in huddled meetings throughout the Capitol between McCarthy supporters and detractors.
No other work could be done; swearing in new House members, forming committees, tackling legislation, investigating the Biden administration until the speaker was elected.
Messy Start To New Congress Points To Difficulties Ahead
The messy start to the new Congress points to difficulties ahead with Republicans now in control of the House, much the way that some past Republican speakers, including John Boehner, had trouble leading a rebellious right flank and ended up with government shutdowns, standoffs and early retirement.
Democratic President Joe Biden, departing the White House for a bipartisan event in Kentucky with Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, said “the rest of the world is looking” at the scene on the House floor.
“I just think it’s really embarrassing it’s taking so long. I have no idea who will prevail.”
President Joe Biden
The standoff over McCarthy has been building since Republicans won the House majority in the midterm elections, eager to end the past two years of Democratic control of Washington.
The conservative Freedom Caucus led the opposition to McCarthy, who believe that he is neither conservative enough nor tough enough to battle Democrats.
To win support, McCarthy has already agreed to many of the demands of Freedom Caucus members, who have been agitating for rules changes and other concessions that give members more influence.
Democrats enthusiastically re-nominated their House leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, on all six ballots for speaker over the two days. He repeatedly won the most votes overall, that is, 212.
If McCarthy could win 213 votes, and then persuade the remaining naysayers to simply vote present, he would be able to lower the threshold required under the rules to have the majority.
It is a strategy that former House speakers, including outgoing Democratic Speaker, Nancy Pelosi and Republican Boehner, had used when they confronted opposition, winning with fewer than 218 votes
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