Republican favorite Kevin McCarthy from California is 0-for-6 so far, but he might want another swing at the fences. McCarthy has led all GOP candidates but hasn’t gotten enough support to garner 218 votes to win the speakership so far
After a sixth failed vote Wednesday, the House of Representatives adjourned and eventually reconvened.
Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy was the GOP frontrunner to win the speakership but has failed to garner the 218 required votes during any of the six votes held between Tuesday and Wednesday so far.
There are newly-elected Representatives who can’t be sworn in until a new House leader is elected. There are committee spots that need to be filled.
There’s no information if a seventh vote will happen on Wednesday night.
McCarthy is “a desperate guy whose vote share is dropping with every subsequent vote” for speaker, Gaetz told reporters. Gaetz’s comments came as the House was adjourned following its sixth speaker vote Wednesday afternoon. None of the members of Congress nominated to become speaker thus far have received the minimum 218 votes needed in order to secure the position.
“I am ready to vote all night, all week, all month, and never for that person,” Gaetz said of McCarthy. He then questioned McCarthy’s ability to occupy the speaker’s office as the position remains under debate.
On Tuesday, Gaetz sent a letter to the Architect of the Capitol asking why McCarthy was allowed to occupy the speaker’s office. “How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?” Gaetz’s letter asked.
The three votes held on Wednesday ended with identical results. In each, McCarthy received 201 votes, Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York received 212 votes and Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida received 20 votes.
Gaetz was among the 20 House Republicans who voted for Donalds.
Due to the ongoing debate over the House speakership, no elected representative has been sworn in to serve in the new 118th Congress. The House is expected to reconvene at 8 p.m. ET to resume discussions about the speaker role.
Before leaving the House floor after the sixth vote, McCarthy was quoted by reporters in the area as saying, “We will get 218, will solve our problems and we will all work together.”
The House adjourned after the sixth vote Wednesday afternoon so members of Congress could regroup. The House is expected to reconvene at 8 p.m. ET.
While McCarthy received 201 votes in all three votes held on Wednesday, a handful of detractors from the Freedom Caucus have thus far refused to support his bid to become the next speaker. Fellow Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida received 20 votes during each of the three Wednesday rounds of voting, and Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York received 212 votes each time.
McCarthy faced challenges from other Republican members of Congress on Tuesday. During the first round of voting, votes were cast for Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Jim Banks of Indiana, Donalds and former Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York. Jordan went on to receive 19 votes in the second round of voting and 20 votes in the third.
Trump responded to Donalds’ speaker nomination in a Wednesday afternoon post on Truth Social. Trump has endorsed Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California for the position, but McCarthy has thus far failed to reach the minimum 218 votes needed to secure the speakership.
Trump first said in a post on Truth Social that there appeared to be a fake endorsement of Donalds by Trump circulating as the House remained divided on its speaker debate. Trump instructed people to “disregard” the alleged endorsement.
Trump’s next post addressed Donalds’ nomination.
“I have always supported Byron Donalds, have consistently Endorsed him for Congress and, in fact, feel that I was a primary reason he entered politics in the first place,” Trump’s post said. “He is a young man with a great future! With that all being said, the story and statement that was just put out that I endorsed Byron for Speaker of the House is Fake and Fraudulent. He will have his day, and it will be a big one, but not now!”
Six votes were held Tuesday and Wednesday as members of Congress remained deadlocked on who should lead the chamber during the new 118th Congress. Ahead of the fourth vote Wednesday afternoon, Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas nominated Donalds. Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado later nominated Donalds again ahead of the fifth vote, and Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania nominated Donalds a third time ahead of the sixth vote.
Donalds received 20 votes during each of the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds of voting.
During a Wednesday evening press conference, Waltz noted how U.S. “adversaries” were pointing to the House’s lack of a consensus as a demonstration of the “messiness” of democracy.
“I think my colleagues would join me in that this is unacceptable,” Waltz said. “Some points have been made, concessions have been made, and now it’s time to move on, to move forward and to govern the way the American people elected us to do.”
Rep.-elect Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, a retired Navy SEAL, said he and the other Republicans gathered for the press conference had a combined 291 years of military service.
“We are here to serve the American people. We all put a uniform on before. Well, this is my uniform now, and I plan on serving the people of the United States of America,” he said.
Van Orden acknowledged that he hasn’t yet been sworn in to begin serving in Congress because no speaker has been elected.
“We’re trying to make sure that we can do the people’s will,” he said. “And a minority of our party has decided that they want to continue with this obstructionism, and it’s actually becoming detrimental to our nation. And I will not stand for that.”
Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas said he doubted the American people care about the politicking currently going on in the House.
“I don’t think that the American people care about any of these so-called missions happening this week,” he said. “Rules changes, who gets more power, who gets on what committee. I can’t think of one American who gives a damn about any of that.”
A notice from the newly-elected House minority whip’s office said, “Members are advised that they should be prepared to stay in Washington, D.C. until a Speaker is elected,” according to Politico.
In a separate notice sent out Wednesday, Clark also urged her colleagues to remain near the House floor while speaker votes are taking place.
The first six House speaker votes held Tuesday and Wednesday resulted in deadlocks, with Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York consistently receiving 212 votes. Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy began the voting on Tuesday just behind Jeffries with 203 votes but received 201 votes in three separate rounds of voting on Wednesday.
At least 218 votes are needed in order to become speaker, but fewer would be needed if members of Congress are not there to vote or if members vote “present” instead of choosing a nominee to support.
Republican Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma moved to adjourn at around 4:30 p.m. ET after the third vote of the day.
House Republicans are expected to use this break to negotiate among their caucus in the hopes of coming to a consensus on House Speaker.
When the House returns, they will begin the seventh vote for House Speaker.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas slammed some of his colleagues when speaking with reporters Wednesday afternoon. “These f***ing people,” he reportedly said. “Now they’re just being clowns.”
In response to Crenshaw’s comments, outgoing Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois tweeted, “The world can now see what we had to deal with for years.”
Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona suggested the GOP fire Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, who received 201 votes in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds of voting on Wednesday. McCarthy was several votes shy of the total 218 needed to become speaker.
“The Carolina Panthers FIRED their head coach when he started 1-4,” Biggs tweeted. “Kevin McCarthy is now 0-5. Republicans should FIRE him.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who nominated Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida ahead of the fifth vote, noted that McCarthy has lost two Republican votes since voting began Tuesday.
“It’s time to find a Speaker that will unify the GOP,” Boebert said on Twitter.
Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas reportedly compared the speakership voting process to the 1994 police chase involving O.J. Simpson.
“This is like OJ and the white Bronco. Everybody’s watching.. .waiting for something to happen at 40 mph,” Womack told a reporter.
Newt Gingrich, who served as the House’s Republican Speaker during former President Bill Clinton’s second term in office, also criticized the voting process and described the Republicans who voted against McCarthy as “deranged disrupters.”
The final tally shows the same results as the fourth and fifth rounds. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, a Democrat, again received the most votes with 212 members supporting him.
This was the third round of voting today and sixth total, as no nominee has reached the necessary 218 votes.
Round Six Tally:
Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York: 212 votes Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California: 201 votes Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida: 20 votes 1 “present” vote (Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana)
Spartz voted for McCarthy during all three rounds of voting held on Tuesday. But on Wednesday, she instead voted “present” in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds of voting, the only member to do so.
Spartz told CNN’s Jake Tapper that she believes it is “important for us as Republicans to address concerns and come to an agreement” and that “further deliberation” is needed in order to “make sure that we can elect a Speaker.”
“Kevin still needs to have a discussion with the members that have concerns if he wants to be Speaker,” Spartz said. “So we need to go back to the conference room and have this discussion, not wasting time on the floor. Because no one is going to budge. It’s not going to change.”
Spartz’s office also released a statement on her decision to vote “present” at the conclusion of the fourth and fifth votes.
“We have a constitutional duty to elect the Speaker of the House, but we have to deliberate further as a Republican conference until we have enough votes and stop wasting everyone’s time,” her statement said. “None of the Republican candidates have this number yet. That’s why I voted present after all votes were cast.”
“There is no one in this conference that wants the job more than Kevin McCarthy,” Greene said Wednesday on the Charlie Kirk Show.
“We have 222 Republican members of Congress, we have to get up to 218 to pass anything,” she continued, calling out the 20 members who instead voted for Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida today.
She urged her GOP colleagues to put this fight into “real battles” in the form of meaningful legislation.
“We are on day 2 and the same Never Kevin group is now on their 3rd Speaker candidate,” Greene tweeted Wednesday. “People are truly beginning to realize they have no plan, and they are sick and tired of ’trust the plan’ that’s a complete secret and never produces results.”
He told reporters that his demand for McCarthy is to lower the motion to vacate threshold to allow one person to oust the Speaker of the House.
This is down from the five-member threshold McCarthy proposed, which is lower than the current rule that sets it at half of the conference. Donalds said not all members want this rule change and the caucus will continue to negotiate.
“We’re gonna be alright,” Donalds said, adding that this is day two, not day 100.
If not himself, Donalds said he wants a House Speaker who will “use every tool in this building to accomplish the will of the American people” and someone he trusts to get that done.
“It’s about empowering members to do the job they were elected to do, not continuing to put more power in the hands of the speakership,” he said. “I think our conference, working together, all Republicans have gotten to a place where we’ve begun to open that up and get it more member-driven and member-friendly.”
He said in the “next couple of hours” Republican will “finish that work” and elect a Speaker.
The House Clerk again announced a Speaker “has not been elected” after the fifth ballot Wednesday afternoon. Seconds later, Republican Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida took the podium and nominated Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, beginning a sixth round.
She began remarks saying, “well, it’s Groundhog Day again.”
Results show Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, a Democrat, again received the most votes with 212 members supporting him. Jeffries garnered more support than Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who received 201 votes from the GOP-led House. Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida received 20 votes.
A nominee must reach 218 votes to secure the Speakership. Jeffries, McCarthy and Donalds all received the same number of votes during the fifth round of voting as they did during the fourth round of voting earlier Wednesday.
Round Five Tally:
Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York: 212 votes Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California: 201 votes Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida: 20 votes 1 member voted “present” 433 total votes
“Even having my favorite president [Trump] call us and tell us we need to knock this off,” Boebert said on the House floor. “I think it actually needs to be reversed. The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, ‘sir, you do not have the votes, and it’s time to withdraw.’”
“Let’s work together,” the Colorado Representative continued. “Let’s stop with the campaign smears and tactics to get people to turn against us.”
Trump endorsed McCarthy for House Speaker in a TruthSocial post early Wednesday.
Boebert nominated Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida ahead of a fifth round of voting. Earlier Wednesday, Donalds was nominated by Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas; Donalds received 20 votes during the fourth round of voting.
The voting began seconds after the House Clerk announced no nominee received the required amount of votes to secure the Speakership during the fourth round of voting Wednesday.
Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio launched the fifth round of voting by nominating Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California.
Rep. Pete Aguilar of California followed, nominating fellow Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert then nominated Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, opposing McCarthy.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, a Democrat, received the most votes with 212 members supporting him. Jeffries garnered more support than Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who received 201 votes from the GOP-led House.
The House Clerk concluded the round saying “a Speaker has not been elected,” announcing the final tally just before 1:45 p.m. ET. A nominee must reach 218 votes to secure the Speakership.
Round Four Tally:
Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York: 212 votes Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California: 201 votes Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida: 20 votes 1 member voted “present” 433 total votes
Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California received 201 votes on Wednesday afternoon.
McCarthy and Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida were both nominated when the House convened on Wednesday, as was Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Jeffries received 212 votes Wednesday, and Donalds received 20 votes. One member of Congress voted “present” instead of supporting one of the three nominees.
It is unclear how many members are present. The above is the tally as of 1:30 p.m. ET Wednesday; a fifth round of voting is expected.
During the votes Tuesday, Donalds voted twice for Kevin McCarthy and once for Jim Jordan.
Going into the fourth vote Wednesday, Donalds told CNN that he could potentially vote for McCarthy is he saw him as viable, adding that he is “not clear” whether McCarthy had a strategy to secure the necessary 218 votes.
During the fourth round of House Speaker voting, McCarthy failed to pick up any new votes to push him over the 218 threshold to secure the leadership position.
All of Donalds’ votes came from the same 20 Republicans who voted against McCarthy in favor of Jordan in Tuesday’s final vote.
Those Representatives included Donalds himself, as well as:
Andy Biggs of Arizona Dan Bishop of North Carolina Lauren Boebert of Colorado Michael Cloud of Texas Andrew Clyde of Georgia Matt Gaetz of Florida Bob Good of Virginia Paul Gosar of Arizona Andy Harris of Maryland Mary Miller of Illinois Ralph Norman of South Carolina Scott Perry of Pennsylvania Matt Rosendale of Montana Chip Roy of Texas
Five Representative-elects also maintained their vote against McCarthy in favor of Donalds, including:
Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma Eli Crane of Arizona Andy Ogles of Tennessee Anna Paulina Luna of Florida Keith Self of Texas
Gaetz again opposed Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California during the fourth Speaker vote Wednesday afternoon, voting instead for Donalds.
Gaetz has spoken out against McCarthy’s campaign to be the next Speaker. On Wednesday morning, Gaetz said on Twitter that McCarthy “is losing it.”
“He texted one of my colleagues who didn’t vote for him: ‘I am ready to fund an endless war’ I’m assuming this is in addition to Ukraine,” Gaetz’s said.
The session began with Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin nominating Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California.
Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar of California then nominated Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
The final nomination came from Represenative Roy for Republican Representative Byron Donalds. Donalds stands as an opponent to McCarthy to lead the chamber.
The House Clerk declared a quorum with 351 members present, and the chamber then began proceedings for its fourth Speaker vote.
Wednesday’s session began with Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) nominating Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Gallagher spoke at the podium for a few minutes as McCarthy sat to his left.
The new 118th Congress convened for the first time on Tuesday and held three rounds of voting for the position. None of the representatives nominated for the speakership received the 218 votes needed in order to secure the Speakership.
This comes as McCarthy continues to negotiate deals to secure the 218 votes necessary to become House Speaker after three vote defeats Tuesday.
According to Politico reporter Olivia Beavers, five House Republicans said they are likely to oppose a motion to adjourn from GOP leadership.
On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are unlikely to offer any help to Republican leadership.
Democrat Whip-Elect Katherine Clark advised House Democrats to vote “no” to a Republican motion to adjourn.
“The best thing to do for the families is for them to have somebody; the dean, swear in the speaker, somebody swear in the members so at least their children will be there when they get sworn in,” Pelosi told CNN.
As the debate continues, many family members—including children—of the elected representatives have been waiting at the U.S. Capitol to watch the swearing-in ceremonies.
Pelosi told CNN that a Speaker is not needed to swear in other members, adding, “the speaker is sworn in without a speaker, so the other members can be.”
After three rounds of voting on Tuesday failed to land on a new speaker, Pelosi criticized the House’s new Republican majority for its inability to bring members together.
“Democrats are unified behind our great new leadership — Republicans are in conflict,” Pelosi tweeted Tuesday night. “Democrats passed historic bills to deliver For The People — Republicans can’t even elect a Speaker. We’ve seen a Republican House — pure chaos. We CAN’T let them burn down what we’ve built.”
Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said members had a “productive caucus meeting.”
“After multiple ballots and almost 24 hours later, there’s still no clear sign of a Speaker,” he said. “What we saw was the true character of the modern day Republican Party: obsessed with power and their own personal advancement at the expense of working families and the needs of everyday Americans.”
He said this makes it difficult for Democrats to “seek common ground” with Republicans, noting that he wants to work with “reasonable Republicans” on bipartisan legislation.
“But we need will partners to do that work and, right now, those willing partners are in short supply,” Aguilar said.
Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu said when Democrats controlled the House, they passed key legislation, including the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.
“In contrast, when Republicans are in control, you get chaos, confusion and crisis,” he said.
Lieu said the country “essentially” does not have a functioning House of Representatives.
“This can’t keep going,” he said. “You can’t have one branch of the federal government simply not working.”
Aguilar called the state of the modern Republican caucus “unfortunate” and lamented how this will impact House operations going forward. He noted that he and other lawmakers are still “members-elect,” as no one has been sworn in to the 118th Congress yet.
“We don’t have status as members until we organize and that is unfortunately a result of this Republican chaos,” Aguilar said.
This impacts committee operations, preventing appointments of committee members, chairs and ranking members.
“This is a crisis of Congress… at the hands of Republican dysfunction,” Aguilar said.
The Democratic leaders said they hope Republicans choose a candidate for House Speaker as their caucus will continue to do behind Representative Hakeem Jeffries.
“I hope that Republicans are able to nominate and unify behind one person, whoever that may be, because we need Republicans to govern,” Lieu said. “If they cannot, they should let Democrats take over.”
Aguilar would not engage in hypotheticals presented by reporters on rallying with Republicans on a unity candidate, adding that Democrats have not been approached about any alternative voting options.
He said he plans to nominate Jeffries again at today’s noon House vote and expects the caucus to remain unified. Aguilar said Democrats are open to working with whoever the Republicans advance.
Whether or not Kevin McCarthy is elected Speaker, Lieu said he has already “significantly weakened” the position by lowering the threshold for members to fire the Speaker with a motion to vacate.
Wednesday will mark the fourth vote after Republican leader Kevin McCarthy lost the first three ballots on Tuesday in the GOP-led House. It was the first time in 100 years that a House Speaker vote went to multiple ballots.
Today’s session is set to begin at 11:50 a.m. ET, watch live here.
Biden said the House’s inability to so far elect a new Speaker is not a “good look” on the world stage.
“For the first time in 100 years, we can’t move,” Biden told reporters Wednesday morning. “It’s not a good look, it’s not a good thing. This is the United States of America, and I hope they get their act together.”
Biden added it’s embarrassing the process is “taking so long” for House Republicans.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Rep. Ted Lieu, both from California, will speak to the press to discuss their party’s legislative agenda.
With the start of the 118th Congress, Democrats in the House are preparing to transition from the majority to the minority.
The Democratic leadership will likely face questions about the upcoming House Speaker vote and their plans to cooperate with Republicans.
Democrats remained united in backing New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House, amid chaos and division across the aisle.
The news conference Wednesday will stream live on C-SPAN at 10:45 a.m. ET.
As he entered the Capitol Wednesday morning, McCarthy told reporters “I think we’ll get to 218” – the votes necessary to become Speaker.
McCarthy was unable to secure a majority of votes to become Speaker of the House after three rounds of voting Tuesday.
The former House Minority Leader promised to stay in the fight for Speaker amid opposition.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he told reporters.
Former President Donald Trump broke his silence on the critical vote in a Truth Social post Wednesday.
After some “really good conversations” overnight, Trump called on all House Republicans to back McCarthy in the Speaker vote.
“VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY, & WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME TO A VERY BROKEN CALIFORNIA,” he wrote in a post.
He urged Republicans not to “turn a great triumph into a giant and embarrassing defeat.”
“Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB,” Trump said.
