Some GOP holdouts flip for McCarthy in 12th vote, as 13th round begins
McCarthy #McCarthy
Republican Kevin McCarthy flipped several colleagues to support him in dramatic votes Friday for House speaker, a major sign of progress for the embattled leader on the fourth day and 13th ballot of a grueling standoff that is testing American democracy.
Here’s how the votes on Friday afternoon unfolded.
Plus, read more coverage:
January 6, 2023
Voting is now underway — 10:22 p.m.
By Lauren Booker, Globe Staff
The 14th round of voting has begun to elect the speaker of the House.
House reconvenes for the second time today. Watch live. — 10:00 p.m.
By Lauren Booker, Globe Staff
The House is reconvening on Friday evening after reaching a 13th failed round of voting earlier today to elect a speaker.
Watch live.
McCarthy needs a few more votes. Here’s who to watch. — 4:21 p.m.
By The Washington Post
The 3 hard nos: Andy Biggs, Matt Gaetz, and Bob Good
If McCarthy flips any of these, he will in all likelihood become speaker. These members have said they simply won’t vote for McCarthy, no matter what.
A spokesman has said Biggs “will not vote for McCarthy under any circumstance.” Gaetz was one of the original hard-liners, saying there was no concession that would change his mind. And Good, too, has said there is nothing McCarthy could offer that would win his vote.
Matthew Rosendale
Rosendale’s office has said he could be swayed, but only under “extreme circumstances.”
But Rosendale didn’t flip Friday. In fact, he seemed to take pleasure in holding the line. When asked for his vote, he said he was casting it for “KEVIN . . .” while waiting for the drama to build, and then added ” . . . HERN,” one of the other candidates. McCarthy allies didn’t seem to appreciate the theatrics.
Rosendale has requested rules changes that empower the rank and file, which McCarthy has given significant ground on – but apparently not enough. Also worth considering: Rosendale could run for Senate in 2024. While he might reason that holding out could help him win over voters in that primary, it also might alienate establishment Republicans who could support his bid.
Getting Rosendale wouldn’t be quite as significant as getting one of the three “hard nos,” but it would mean McCarthy probably only needs to flip one more member.
Lauren Boebert
Boebert didn’t telegraph her opposition in advance as much, but she has emerged as one of the leaders of the band of holdouts. At one point, she even urged former president Donald Trump to tell McCarthy to drop out, which would seem a significant statement of her intent. She has also mixed it up with McCarthy-backing Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.).
Eli Crane
The incoming freshman is perhaps the holdout we know the least about. He signed a letter last month that included requests for various rules changes. But the other six signatories all just flipped for McCarthy, while Crane didn’t.
Asked by Punchbowl News on Friday what might change his vote, he said, “I don’t have an answer for you,” while citing his desire to stick to his “campaign promises.”
These six Republicans are blocking McCarthy’s path to the speakership — 4:07 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
There are six Republican holdouts who are blocking Kevin McCarthy’s path to seizing the speakership.
They are:
McCarthy tells CNN he’s confident he’ll have the votes tonight to become speaker Friday night — 3:45 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Kevin McCarthy said after the House adjourned Friday afternoon that he’s confident he will have the votes to become speaker on Friday night.
“We’ll come back tonight and I believe at that time, we’ll have the votes to finish this once and for all,” McCarthy said.
When he was asked how he expects to govern with a conference like this, McCarthy replied: “Because it took this long, now we learned how to govern.”
House votes to adjourn until 10 p.m. — 3:39 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House has voted to adjourn until 10 p.m. after two additional rounds of voting on Friday afternoon that failed to yield a leader of the chamber.
After days of a stalemate over who would seize the speakership, Kevin McCarthy finally made progress in his quest to lead the chamber. Fourteen Republicans
But he’s not there yet: Six Republicans are still blocking his path to the gavel.
Through 13 rounds of voting, a look at how key Republicans have voted — 3:32 p.m.
By Christina Prignano, Globe Staff
Friday marked the fourth day of chaos among House Republicans over who among them should lead the conference as speaker.
Here’s how 21 key Republicans have voted.
House voting on adjournment; would reconvene at 10 p.m. Friday — 3:24 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Globe Staff
After 13 ballots of unsuccessful voting to choose its next speaker, the House is counting votes on whether or not to adjourn for several hours and resume at 10 p.m. A voice vote was inconclusive and prompted a tabulated vote.
The vote tally for the 13th speaker vote — 2:57 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The tally for the 13th round of voting for House speaker was 214 votes for Kevin McCarthy, 212 for Hakeem Jeffries, and 6 votes for Jim Jordan.
Margin tightens, but McCarthy falls short again — 2:56 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
After the 13th try to elect a House speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy fell short once again.
He picked up one additional vote from a GOP detractor: Representative Andy Harris of Maryland.
Democrat returns to House floor after Friday morning surgery to vote, to applause of Democrats — 2:48 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
A sign of how tight the margin is right now? Maryland Representative David Trone, arm in sling and using a cane, voted in the 13th round and the whole Democratic side stood to applaud.
The dramatic moment is because Trone needed surgery Friday morning — then, still wearing his hospital socks, according to a tweet — immediately headed back to the Capitol to cast his vote.
Any absences lower the threshold McCarthy needs to win the speakership — especially on the Democratic side.
Another flipped vote for McCarthy — 2:26 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman and Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
Representative Andy Harris of Maryland voted for Kevin McCarthy in the 13th round, dropping the number of GOP holdouts down to six.
Voting begins on 13th ballot without formal nominations for other speakers — 2:10 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House kicked off its 13th round of voting with formal nominating speeches only for Republican Kevin McCarthy and Democrat Hakeem Jeffries.
That marks a departure from previous rounds of voting, when other Republicans have given speeches nominating other candidates. In the 12th round, it was Matt Gaetz who nominated Jim Jordan and Lauren Boebert who nominated Kevin Hern.
Texas Democrat nominates Hakeem Jeffries — 2:05 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Democrat Veronica Escobar of Texas nominated Hakeem Jeffries for speaker.
Kentucky Republican nominates McCarthy for 13th vote — 2:00 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representative James Comer of Kentucky is nominating Kevin McCarthy for a 13th round of voting.
Watch live.
For the first time, McCarthy surpasses Jeffries as top vote-getter — 1:55 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
For the first time since this began — on Day 4, Round 12 — Kevin McCarthy’s name was read first after a vote as the top vote-getter.
Until this point, Democrats’ Hakeem Jeffries was the top vote-getter 11 rounds in a row. They’ve each gotten standing ovations after each round’s vote announcement, but Republicans’ one was the one with more energy this time.
Seven Republicans are still refusing to support McCarthy — 1:43 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Seven Republicans cast their votes for Representatives Jim Jordan or Kevin Hern:
These Republicans flipped their votes for McCarthy in the last round — 1:35 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
In the 12th round on Friday, 14 Republicans changed their votes to Kevin McCarthy from the way they had voted in the 11th round Thursday.
They are:
Follow our vote tracker to see how they voted in previous rounds.
Oh the difference a day makes — 1:29 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
On the 12th vote for speaker, there was significant movement.
After a frenzied day of negotiating with holdouts, McCarthy and his allies have been able to convince 13 of them to vote for McCarthy, nearly all of them noting they were doing so “pending” the continued negotiations in good faith.
It’s a major sign of progress for him, something he sorely needs to convince the caucus to stick with him going forward and to pressure the remaining holdouts to reconsider.
But there’s still signs of trouble: Seven of the detractors are still against McCarthy. It’s unclear how many of them are gettable, if any. If all members vote (and three were missing on that round, two Republican and one Democrat), McCarthy can only lose four votes to get the speaker’s gavel.
Negotiations are also not a done deal, and so voting is likely to continue for some time.
A very different vote tally from previous rounds — 1:21 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The official tally at the end of the 12th vote is 213 votes for Kevin McCarthy, 211 for Hakeem Jeffries, 4 for Jim Jordan, and 3 for Kevin Hern. It’s the first sign of movement for McCarthy in days.
Seven Republicans opted not to back Kevin McCarthy.
Gosar and Ogles also flip their votes — 1:19 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representatives Paul Gosar of Arizona and Andy Ogles of Tennessee also flipped their votes for Kevin McCarthy.
Self and Spartz now back McCarthy, too — 1:10 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representatives Keith Self of Texas and Victoria Spartz of Indiana make it the 11th and 12th new vote for McCarthy among the GOP detractors.
Spartz had previously voted “present” in the last 8 rounds.
Roy flips for McCarthy — 1:08 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Texas Republican Chip Roy backed Kevin McCarthy, marking another GOP holdout who flipped their vote.
Norman and Perry also back McCarthy, bringing total to 9 detractors who change vote — 1:05 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Jim Puzzanghera, and Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
Republican Representatives Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania flip their votes for Kevin McCarthy.
Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, has been one of the most outspoken McCarthy opponents. He was one of the original 5 holdouts who seemed to have a very personal and unshakable disregard for him.
Perry is a key member of the House Freedom Caucus who has been agitating against McCarthy.
That’s seven, with Miller of Illinois backing McCarthy — 1:00 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Illinois Republican Mary Miller also changed her vote to support Kevin McCarthy, marking seven GOP hard-liners who are newly supporting the California Republican.
Republican Anna Paulina Luna is sixth new vote for McCarthy — 12:55 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna makes it six GOP holdouts who have flipped their votes to back Kevin McCarthy for speaker.
New support won’t get McCarthy all the way there — 12:50 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
This is not going to get McCarthy all the way there. He at last count had 20 detractors and cannot lose more than four.
But it is a significant sign of progress and his allies hope that if they can demonstrate the momentum is in McCarthy’s favor, there will be pressure on the last holdouts to throw in the towel on their rebellion.
Byron Donalds makes it five who flip for McCarthy — 12:44 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representative Byron Donalds flipped his vote for Kevin McCarthy, marking the fifth GOP detractor who switched their vote.
The group of 20 holdouts at one point backed Donalds, a Florida Republican, for speaker in earlier rounds of voting.
There is movement! McCarthy flips some GOP holdouts. — 12:41 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
Kevin McCarthy got his first substantially good news in days on this 12th round.
Four of his detractors have now switched their vote to him, Representatives Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Michael Cloud of Texas and Andrew Clyde of Georgia. Brecheen, Cloud and Clyde noted that it was a vote reflecting the contours of a concessions agreement being worked out still.
Emotions are running high — 12:38 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
Nominating speeches have been eventful ahead of this 12th vote for speaker.
South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn gave a powerful nominating speech for Democrats’ Hakeem Jeffries that noted America’s founding and the events of Jan. 6, with Democrats solemnly nodding along.
Then Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, one of the leading McCarthy detractors, began speaking to nominate an alternative to him.
As he used the remarks to lay into McCarthy, a Republican member rose in anger and called out to the clerk to remind Gaetz that he may not attack individuals by name on the House floor. Then as Gaetz continued and spoke about McCarthy “selling shares” of himself to lobbyists, a group of Republicans pointedly walked out of the chamber in protest.
Lauren Boebert nominates Kevin Hern — 12:35 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert nominated Oklahoma Republican Kevin Hern for speaker.
Matt Gaetz nominates Jim Jordan for speaker — 12:32 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, who is among the group of 20 lawmakers that are opposing Kevin McCarthy for the speakership, nominated Ohio Republican Jim Jordan.
“There is insufficient trust in Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz said.
Jordan has consistently voted for McCarthy through 11 rounds of voting. In the second round on Tuesday, 19 Republicans who are against McCarthy rallied behind Jordan before moving their support elsewhere.
The legacy of Jan. 6 hangs thick in the air — 12:25 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
New Hampshire Representative Annie Kuster, wearing a “Remember Jan. 6″ pin, said Friday that today remains extremely poignant for lawmakers.
She was part of what has been nicknamed “the gallery group” — a collection of lawmakers who were trapped in the viewing gallery above the House Chamber on Jan. 6 with a mix of others including journalists. The lawmaker group has remained in touch as a support system for each other in the two years since and took a picture together on the House steps at Friday morning’s remembrance of the anniversary.
This morning, they provided Capitol Police with lunch as a thank you for what they’ve done. The police force got another recognition on the House floor not long after, when California Representative Mike Garcia acknowledged their service during his nomination of McCarthy (the 12th since Tuesday) and the entire chamber rose to its feet and applauded.
Clyburn nominates Hakeem Jeffries — 12:21 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
House Assistant Leader Jim Clyburn nominated Hakeem Jeffries for speaker.
The South Carolina Democrat began by thanking the House clerk “for your contribution to maintaining the dignity and honor of this august body,” before the House members rose for a standing ovation.
“The eyes of the country are on us today. Let us consider what they will remember,” Clyburn said.
He also marked the anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“The greatness of this country and the resiliency of our democracy were put at peril,” Clyburn said of Jan. 6, 2021. But we survived.”
California Republican nominates McCarthy for 12th speaker ballot — 12:12 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
California Republican Representative Mike Garcia nominated Kevin McCarthy for a 12th round of voting to elect a House speaker.
Chaplain’s prayer highlights anniversary of Jan. 6, continued impasse over speaker — 12:08 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House chaplain began Friday’s proceedings with a prayer that marked the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and highlighted the impasse over electing a House speaker.
“On this day of profound remembrance,” House Chaplain Margaret Kibben said, the American people and those in the House chamber “approach today with a host of feelings: the abiding emotional and spiritual unease stemming from the memory of inconceivable unrest in these chambers two years ago; The exhausting frustration over the prolonged impasse in the deliberations that obscures the way ahead; The fear that resides in the hearts of families and staffers, communities and constituents who are affected by the lack of resources and security while this legislative body remains unseated.”
Members hung their heads in solemn observance during the prayer.
McCarthy reportedly tells Republican members he doesn’t have the votes — 12:04 p.m.
By Jackie Kucinich, Globe Staff
Kevin McCarthy kicked off the fourth day in his quest to become House speaker by telling a conference call of Republican members that he did not have the votes, according to NBC News.
McCarthy said while there wasn’t an agreement yet, meetings with some of the rebels blocking his ascent were ongoing and that he believed his camp was “in a good position.”
But there are signs that some of his supporters are getting restless and increasingly concerned about how much McCarthy is willing to cede to the Freedom Caucus, particularly when it comes to committee assignments.
McCarthy has not ruled out votes over the weekend, a decision that could further alienate his membership, particularly those with pressing familial obligations including one member, according to Politico, who risks missing his mother’s funeral if he’s forced to stay in Washington.
The vote could drag into next week — 11:53 a.m.
By the Associated Press
No final agreement was likely by the end of the day on Friday, and the House could be back at it next week — a second week with the chamber unable swear in members and begin its 2023-24 session.
So far Republicans have been unable to settle on a new speaker — normally an easy, joyous task for a party that has just won majority control. But not this time: About 200 Republicans are stymied by 20 far-right colleagues who say he’s not conservative enough.
House is set to meet again soon. Watch live. — 11:50 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House is reconvening on Friday afternoon to try to elect a House speaker after 11 failed votes and three days.
Watch live.
Amid speaker battle, House Democrats mark Jan. 6 anniversary at the Capitol — 10:30 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
House Democrats convened at the US Capitol on Friday morning to mark two years since the deadly insurrection on Jan. 6, when a mob of violent Trump supporters breached the building in an effort to stop President Biden’s electoral victory.
The anniversary came as the House is at a standstill after failing to elect a speaker through 11 votes and three days.
“The Jan. 6 insurrection shook our republic to the core,” Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, said. “For many in the Congress and across our country, the physical, psychological, and emotional scars are still raw. Yet through the unspeakable horror sprang extraordinary heroism.”
Dads of Congress turn Capitol into day-care center during vote marathon — 10:00 a.m.
By Bloomberg News
Democrats Jimmy Gomez of California and Joaquin Castro of Texas were among the members of Congress who brought their babies with them to a swearing-in ceremony for the 118th Congress that has yet to materialize. And since Tuesday, they’ve been candid about turning parts of the Capitol building into makeshift child-care rooms for their infant children, documenting bottle feeds, diaper changes and stroller walks.
Just what do Kevin McCarthy’s antagonists want, and why won’t they budge? — 9:15 a.m.
By The New York Times
As the Republicans’ drama over Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker persists for round after round of negotiations and roll-call votes, one puzzling question is just what, exactly, the rebels want.
To the endless frustration of McCarthy and his allies, the insurgents’ demands have been heavy on two factors: internal procedural rules meant to expand the power of the far right within the House, and the insurgents’ desire to present themselves as uncompromising foes of Democrats’ agenda. But more than anything else, McCarthy’s most die-hard opponents just seem intent on taking him down.
McCarthy offers deal to end standoff in House speaker fight — 7:00 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The contours of a deal that could make Republican leader Kevin McCarthy the House speaker have begun to emerge after three grueling days and 11 failed votes in a political spectacle unseen in a century. It has left Republicans in disarray and exposed anew the fragility of American democracy.
The House will be back at it Friday, with Republicans trying to elect their new House speaker — this time, against the backdrop of the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
A little-known committee could be at the heart of the speaker fight — 5:30 a.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
On the floor above the House chamber sits a suite of offices where lawmakers toil at late hours, often with barely any notice, to get bills ready for floor votes. An obscure office to most of the country, it is now one of the most consequential bargaining chips in the drawn-out battle for speaker.
Even in Washington, the Rules Committee is one of the lower-profile committees, yet it’s one of the most important. As Representative Kevin McCarthy of California labored through his third day attempting to become speaker, one of the demands he is weighing from the far right flank of the Republican Party is a request for four seats on the committee.
January 5, 2023
House votes to adjourn; still has no speaker after three days, 11 rounds of voting — 8:07 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Globe Staff
The House will reconvene at noon on Friday, voting to adjourn after finishing its 11th ballot of House speaker voting without a single candidate winning enough votes to be named the chamber’s leader.
House casting votes on proposal to adjourn — 7:55 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Globe Staff
After 11 ballots of unsuccessful voting to choose its next speaker, the House is counting votes on whether or not to adjourn for Thursday and resume on Friday at noon. A voice vote was inconclusive and prompted a tabulated vote.
McCarthy fails to win speakership on 11th ballot — 7:35 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Globe Staff
The House once again failed to elect a speaker after Kevin McCarthy was unable to capture the speakership on the 11th vote.
The vote count was 212 for Hakeem Jeffries, 200 for Kevin McCarthy, 12 for Byron donalds, 7 for Kevin Hern, 1 for Donald Trump, and 1 present vote.
Ken Buck of Colorado missed the vote, having returned to his district for a nonemergency medical procedure.
Representatives are voting now. Watch live. — 7:05 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representatives are beginning to cast their votes for the 11th time after Republicans Kevin McCarthy and Kevin Hern and Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, along with former president Donald Trump, were nominated for speaker.
Watch the 11th vote live.
Virginia Republican nominates Oklahoma Representative Kevin Hern — 6:43 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Virginia Republican Bob Good nominated Oklahoma Representative Kevin Hern for House speaker. He had been nominated in previous rounds of voting by Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
Gaetz nominates Trump for speaker — 6:35 p.m.
By Jim Puzzanghera, Globe Staff
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz went there. He just nominated former President Donald Trump for House speaker.
Gaetz voted for Trump in one of the earlier rounds on Thursday. Now he took the next step.
”I nominate President Trump because we must make our country great again,” Gaetz said after some catcalls from Democrats. “He can start by making the House of Representatives great again.“
Gaetz was taking about this more than a year ago. Asked at a late 2021 conference this month if he wanted Trump to be speaker, Gaetz said, “I would.” He said he had talked to Trump about it but that the conversation was private.
Read more about the possibility of Trump as speaker.
House clerk receives round of applause — 6:26 p.m.
By Jim Puzzanghera, Globe Staff
Amid reports a deal might be close between Kevin McCarthy and rebel Republicans, the House has launched into nominations for an historic 11th round of voting.
But there was one thing all Republicans and Democrats could agree on. They broke into loud applause when Arkansas Republican French Hill began his nomination speech for Kevin McCarthy by praising the job being done by House Clerk Cheryl Johnson. One lawmaker even called out that she should be nominated for speaker.
With no speaker yet, Johnson has been running the show in the House. And she began things Thursday morning by chastising members-elect about their decorum in the speaker votes after things got rowdy the day before.
Colorado Democrat nominates Jeffries for 11th vote — 6:25 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Globe Staff
Democratic Representative Joe Neguse of Colorado nominated Representative Hakeem Jeffries for House speaker ahead of the 11th ballot of voting.
Arkansas Republican nominates McCarthy for 11th vote — 6:18 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Globe Staff
With little delay following its 10th vote, the House is beginning to vote for speaker for the 11th time, and Arkansas Republican French Hill is nominating Kevin McCarthy.
After 10 votes, House remains without a speaker — 5:50 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Globe Staff
The House once again failed to elect a speaker after Kevin McCarthy was unable to capture the speakership on the 10th vote.
The vote count was 212 for Hakeem Jeffries, 200 for Kevin McCarthy, 13 for Byron Donalds, 7 for Kevin Hern, and 1 present vote.
Ken Buck of Colorado missed the vote, having returned to his district for a nonemergency medical procedure.
GOP representative, McCarthy supporter misses rounds 9 and 10 of voting — 5:31 p.m.
By Jim Puzzanghera, Globe Staff
Kevin McCarthy’s vote total dropped to 200 in the ninth round because one of his supporters, Representative Ken Buck of Colorado, was absent for that round. And some other Republicans also might have to leave, creating more problems for him.
Buck reportedly had to go back to his district for a planned medical procedure so did not vote in the 10th round either. The winning speaker candidate needs a majority of those voting “for a person by name,” so missing lawmakers or those voting present aren’t necessarily a problem for McCarthy. Except if they’re supporting him, like Buck has been.
There’s still a lot of energy in the House chamber — 5:10 p.m.
By Jim Puzzanghera, Globe Staff
There’s still a lot of energy in the House chamber as lawmakers launch into their 10th speaker vote.
Republican Kevin McCarthy lost another supporter in the ninth vote, his total dropping to 200 after holding steady at 201 through multiple votes. Once again, Democrat Hakeem Jeffries was the top vote getter with 212, triggering loud applause from fellow Democrats when the vote total was read.
But McCarthy and his supporters showed their enthusiasm, cheering loudly for him when his vote total was announced. McCarthy smiled and pumped his fist.
Incoming first-term Republican Juan Ciscomani of Arizona nominated McCarthy again. Ciscomani noted he’s the first naturalized citizen from Arizona to be elected to Congress.
California Democrat Pete Aguilar then nominated Jeffries again while thanking Ciscomani for sharing his family’s story of attaining the American Dream. Then Aguilar drew applause from Democrats and Republicans when he said he hoped the House could get down to business and elect a speaker so Ciscomani and all the other members could be sworn in.
Just as in the last round, Republicans also nominated Byron Donalds and Kevin Hern. And here we go again.
Representatives are voting now. Watch live. — 5:05 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representatives are beginning to cast their votes for the 10th time after Republicans Kevin McCarthy, Byron Donalds, and Kevin Hern and Democrat Hakeem Jeffries were nominated for speaker.
Watch the 10th vote live.
Lauren Boebert nominates Oklahoma Representative Kevin Hern — 5:03 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert once again nominated Oklahoma Representative Kevin Hern for House speaker.
Florida Republican nominates Byron Donalds — 5:02 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, has nominated Representative Byron Donalds for House speaker.
Aguilar once again nominates Jeffries — 4:58 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Democratic Representative Pete Aguilar nominated Representative Hakeem Jeffries for House speaker.
It’s been 164 years since it took more than nine ballots to elect a House speaker — 4:49 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House is entering its 10th round of voting for speaker, marking the first time since 1859 that it has taken more than nine ballots to elect the chamber’s leader.
In 1859, it took 44 rounds to elect William Pennington.
Since then, it has only taken multiple ballots to elect a speaker on one other occasion: 100 years ago in 1923, when Massachusetts Republican Frederick Huntington Gillett was chosen after nine ballots.
House begins 10th vote for speaker, with Arizona Republican nominating McCarthy — 4:48 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House is beginning to vote for House speaker for the 10th time, and Arizona Republican Juan Ciscomani is nominating Kevin McCarthy.
House fails to elect a speaker in nine votes — 4:31 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House once again failed to elect a speaker after Kevin McCarthy was unable to capture the speakership on the ninth vote.
The vote count was 212 for Hakeem Jeffries, 200 for Kevin McCarthy, 17 for Byron Donalds, 3 for Kevin Hern, and 1 present vote.
Representatives are voting now. Watch live. — 3:46 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representatives are beginning to cast their votes after Republicans Kevin McCarthy, Byron Donalds, and Kevin Hern and Democrat Hakeem Jeffries were nominated for speaker.
Watch the ninth vote live.
Lauren Boebert nominates Oklahoma Representative Kevin Hern — 3:41 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert nominated Oklahoma Representative Kevin Hern for House speaker.
“Many of you have said it. You see that Kevin McCarthy does not have the votes. You are understanding that he is not going to get there,” Boebert said.
“It is not happening. And as it’s been said, we need to get to a point where we start evaluating what life after Kevin McCarthy looks like,” she said.
The last time a vote for speaker went to multiple ballots, it was 100 years ago and ended after the ninth vote — 3:30 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House is now voting for the ninth time to elect a speaker.
The last time it took multiple ballots to elect a speaker, the House succeeded after nine votes. That was in 1923, and Frederick Huntington Gillett, who was eventually elected, was a Massachusetts Republican.
Read more about the vote in 1923.
Montana Republican nominates Byron Donalds — 3:24 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Republican Representative Matt Rosendale of Montana nominated Republican Representative Byron Donalds for speaker.
California Democrat nominates Hakeem Jeffries — 3:21 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California nominated Representative Hakeem Jeffries for speaker.
House opens ninth round of voting, with Texas Republican nominating McCarthy— 3:17 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House is entering its ninth round of voting for House speaker, with Texas Republican Representative Troy Nehls nominating Kevin McCarthy.
House fails to elect speaker in eighth vote — 2:53 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House failed once again to elect a speaker, with Kevin McCarthy unable to secure enough votes from his party to capture the speakership.
The tally was 212 for Hakeem Jeffries, 201 for McCarthy, 17 for Byron Donalds, 3 for others, and 1 present.
In eighth vote, three Republicans don’t back McCarthy or Donalds — 2:48 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
During the eighth round of voting, three Republicans who previously declined to back Kevin McCarthy in favor of other members of the party cast their votes for others.
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz once again voted for former president Donald Trump.
Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert and Oklahoma Representative Josh Brecheen voted for Representative Kevin Hern of Oklahoma.
Representatives-elect who are yet to be sworn in poke fun at their luck on Twitter — 2:13 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Elected to Congress? Yes. An official member? Not yet.
With the House yet to nominate a speaker after multiple rounds of voting, activity in the chamber is on hold. That means those elected to the House in November who expected to have already been sworn in are playing the waiting game.
Many poked fun at their luck on Twitter.
Republican Andy Biggs nominates Byron Donalds — 1:59 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Republican Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona nominated Republican Representative Byron Donalds of Florida for House speaker.
In the first round of voting on Tuesday, Biggs himself received 10 votes before the group of Republican defectors began backing Jim Jordan and then Donalds.
Clark’s nominating speech for Jeffries fires up Democrats — 1:55 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
On the eighth round of nominating speeches, Revere Representative Katherine Clark, the new Democratic whip, is stepping in to nominate Democrats’ leader Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York. She kicked off by repeating the results of the last seven rounds of voting 212 for Jeffries, seven times.
She continued to read a list of Democratic priorities they fought for — from LGBTQ rights, to paid family leave, to voting rights — ending the sentence, “they said no,” referring to the GOP. It fired up her colleagues, who started chiming in on “they said no” toward the end of the speech.
Mass. Representative Katherine Clark nominates Hakeem Jeffries — 1:52 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Massachusetts Democrat Katherine Clark nominated Hakeem Jeffries for speaker, marking the first time someone other than California Representative Pete Aguilar rose to nominate him.
She opened by repeating seven times the number “212,″ the number of votes Jeffries has consistently received from Democrats through seven rounds of voting for speaker.
House opens eighth round of voting for speaker, with Florida representative nominating McCarthy — 1:38 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House is entering another round of voting for House speaker, with Republican Representative Brian Mast of Florida nominating Kevin McCarthy.
Watch it live.
Ann Coulter reacts to Matt Gaetz’s vote for Donald Trump — 1:38 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Conservative media commentator Ann Coulter took to Twitter to react to Matt Gaetz’s vote for former president Donald Trump for House speaker.
“Well now you’ve lost all credibility,” Coulter wrote.
Here’s how the seventh vote unfolded — 1:33 p.m.
By Christina Prignano, Globe Staff
Thursday marked the third day of chaos among House Republicans over who among them should lead the conference as speaker.
Here’s how the Republicans who oppose McCarthy voted.
Nothing substantive changed in the latest round of voting — 1:25 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
We’ve now gotten through the seventh roll call. Nothing substantive changed on that one.
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz changed his place-holder anti-McCarthy vote to vote for Donald Trump, which doesn’t affect anything about the current dynamic.
One of the anti-McCarthy ringleaders, Pennsylvania’s Scott Perry, was missing until the absolute last moment of voting, when he walked in and cast another vote against McCarthy. The Globe’s Jim Puzzanghera reports he was doing a TV interview.
House fails again to elect House speaker in seventh round of voting — 1:19 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House failed once again to elect a speaker during a seventh round of voting, as Kevin McCarthy failed to corral enough votes from his party to seize the speakership.
McCarthy’s latest rejection came after he reportedly made a number of concessions to the far-right faction that has resisted his nomination for three days.
The vote was 201 for McCarthy, 212 for Jeffries, 19 for Donalds, 1 for another person, and 1 present.
Matt Gaetz flips his vote from Byron Donalds to Donald Trump — 12:50 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Republican Representative Matt Gaetz flipped his House speaker vote from Republican Representative Byron Donalds to former president Donald Trump.
In previous rounds of voting, Gaetz voted for Representative Andy Biggs first, then Jim Jordan in the next two, and Donalds in the previous three rounds.
Read our piece from December 2021 on whether Trump — or a non-sitting House member — could really be the next House speaker.
When will anything change? — 12:46 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
We’re well into the seventh round of roll calls for speaker. So far, no votes seem to have changed.
It’s possible that if a surprise comes, it comes at the end, when members who missed the first time through the roll call have a chance to register their vote. Negotiations do seem to be underway though.
On his way onto the House floor Thursday morning, Representative Chip Roy of Texas said, “I’m going to stop talking about this stuff in the press today” because “behind closed doors” is “where it is right now.” McCarthy world is reportedly hoping they can convince Roy and several others to change their vote with the right concessions. But McCarthy still needs to get his 20 detractors down to four, and many of them do not seem moved by anything he has to say.
Here’s how the Republican rebels see it — 12:40 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
There’s been a clear subtext to the nominating speeches from McCarthy’s GOP opponents: We’re not messy, we’re democracy in action.
In the seventh such round of speeches Thursday afternoon, North Carolina Representative Dan Bishop continued the theme, arguing that the American people want change and this is how it happens. Meanwhile, Democrats continue to emphasize that they are united and ready to govern as Republicans scramble to figure out who could be speaker, if anyone.
As voting is underway, take a look at which Republicans opposed McCarthy’s bid in the past six votes — 12:35 p.m.
By Christina Prignano, Globe Staff
See how McCarthy’s detractors have voted in each round.
Dan Bishop of North Carolina nominates Byron Donalds for speaker — 12:27 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Republican Representative Dan Bishop of North Carolina nominated Florida Republican Byron Donalds for speaker.
A vibe check on the House floor — 12:25 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
Morning vibe check: Standing ovation for “order”: There’s been a lot of talk about the House currently having no rules.
As day 3 of speaker voting kicked off Thursday morning, the House clerk began with her own remarks. She reminded lawmakers that even without an adopted rules package or speaker, she is vested with the responsibility to keep order and decorum in the chamber. She delivered a lecture of the expectations for the House floor and got a standing ovation for saying they would maintain order.
Aguilar again nominates Jeffries for House speaker — 12:21 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Democratic Representative Pete Aguilar nominated Representative Hakeem Jeffries for House speaker.
House goes to seventh ballot to try to elect a speaker, and Michigan representative nominates McCarthy — 12:12 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House on Thursday opened its seventh ballot to try to elect a speaker, with Michigan Republican Representative John James nominating Kevin McCarthy as speaker.
‘Everyone wants to find a solution,’ McCarthy says before House gavels in — 12:06 p.m.
By the Associated Press
“We’re having good discussions and I think everyone wants to find a solution,” McCarthy told reporters shortly before the House was prepared to gavel into session again.
But despite endless talks, signs of concessions, and a public spectacle unlike any other in recent political memory, the path ahead remained highly uncertain.
House is set to convene again. Watch live. — 11:55 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
House Republicans are at a crossroads as leader Kevin McCarthy has failed over and over again to become House speaker.
Watch live.
Republicans’ ‘cavalier attitude’ in electing a speaker is ‘disrespectful,’ former speaker Pelosi says — 11:34 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
After the House failed to elect a speaker on Wednesday night, Nancy Pelosi criticized Republicans’ “cavalier attitude in electing a speaker,” calling it “frivolous, disrespectful, and unworthy of this institution.”
“We must open the House and proceed with the People’s work,” the former House speaker wrote.
A list of the concessions McCarthy is reportedly offering to shore up GOP support for speakership — 9:45 a.m.
By The New York Times
Here’s a look at the concessions Kevin McCarthy is reportedly offering to a group of far-right Republicans, according to The New York Times, which cited people familiar with ongoing discussions. The Times reported that the anonymous sources noted that the discussions were ongoing and that no final deal had been reached.
McCarthy reportedly offers new concessions to try to win speaker post — 9:15 a.m.
By The New York Times
Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California offered fresh concessions to a hard-right band of rebels in a desperate effort to lock down the votes to become speaker, as a historic Republican deadlock that has paralyzed Congress entered its third day Thursday with no resolution.
After losing a half-dozen consecutive votes for the post over two humiliating days, McCarthy privately agreed to more demands from the right-wing rebels that he had previously refused to countenance, including allowing a single lawmaker to force a snap vote at any time to oust him from the speakership, according to The New York Times, which cited three people familiar with the negotiations who described them on the condition of anonymity, noting that they were ongoing and that no final deal had been reached.
January 4, 2023
These four Republicans joined Democrats in voting against adjourning — 8:40 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
Four Republicans joined Democrats in voting against adjourning until Thursday afternoon: Representatives Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, and Matt Gaetz and Representative-elect Eli Crane.
House votes to adjourn — 8:27 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House voted Wednesday night to adjourn until noon on Thursday after failing to elect a speaker.
The final tally to adjourn was 216-214.
House is voting now to adjourn until Thursday — 8:10 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House is voting to adjourn until noon Thursday and not hold another vote Wednesday to elect a speaker.
House is reconvening with no speaker elected. Watch live. — 8:00 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House is reconvening Wednesday night after failing to elect a speaker through six rounds of voting.
Watch live.
McCarthy says it’s ‘not productive’ for another vote on Wednesday night — 7:45 p.m.
By Kenneth Singletary, Globe Staff
Kevin McCarthy said another vote for House speaker on Wednesday night would not be “productive.” He made the comment after meeting with detractors before the House was set to reconvene at 8 p.m.
Four ways the chaos over the House Speaker vote could end | Analysis — 6:15 p.m.
By James Pindell, Globe Staff
For those watching House Republicans, with their slim majority, struggle to pick a speaker this week, it might seem as if the situation could drag on forever.
Indeed, until a majority of House members cast ballots for a single candidate, the voting will go on. And of the hundreds of ballots cast over six rounds of voting so far, only two or three have switched at all.
So yes, this could take a while, with Congress paralyzed and members of the House not even able to be sworn in.
But here are four ways it could end.
House adjourns until 8 p.m. Wednesday — 4:35 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
Republicans just succeeded in getting a motion to adjourn on a voice vote — but only until 8 pm. It’s an indication they think they might have a deal. Democrats were surprised by this, seemingly expecting a motion to adjourn until tomorrow (a “what?” was audible on their side of the aisle). But they failed to get the clerk to take a vote of the full House.
McCarthy falls short in sixth bid to be House speaker — 4:20 p.m.
By the Associated Press
For a sixth time, Republicans tried to vote McCarthy into the top job as the House plunged deeper into disarray. But the votes were producing almost the same outcome, 20 conservative holdouts still refusing to support him, and leaving him far short of the 218 typically needed to win the gavel.
The final vote total was the same as the fourth and fifth votes: 212 votes for Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, 201 votes for McCarthy, 20 votes for Republican Byron Donalds, and 1 present vote.
GOP representative: A state of disarray and chaos, ‘but…you get a speaker’ — 4:04 p.m.
By Jim Puzzanghera, Globe Staff
With Democrats saying the House doesn’t even exist right now amid the speaker battle, Colorado Republican Ken Buck disagreed even as he acknowledged things aren’t going so well under Republican control.
“Sure, it exists,” Buck, who supports Kevin McCarthy for the job, told reporters during a break between votes Wednesday. “It’s in a state of disarray and chaos, but…you get a speaker, you get people sworn in and you move on.”
Although he and his colleagues are only House members-elect until they’re sworn in, Buck noted they’re still more than just average citizens. They’re the only ones who can vote for speaker, so constituents know they’re at work.
“I think that people know that we’re here. If you’re not a member of Congress, you’re not voting for a speaker,” he said. “So there is a Congress. There is a vote happening. It just doesn’t make much sense to a lot of them.”
So… how much longer will this go on? — 3:50 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
So how much longer will we go? Normally, the speaker can control the floor and recess or hold open votes at will.
But as the House continues to operate with no members, no speaker, and no rules, they only have two options: Continue to vote for speaker or vote to adjourn for the day.
Reportedly, Republican leaders wanted to adjourn for the day before today even began. But they would need either Democrats or the 20 rebels to go along with them for the vote to succeed. And neither of McCarthy’s groups of antagonists had any interest in postponing his torment.
And so we continue until, perhaps, hunger pains of dinner time encourage a change of heart.
McCarthy, at least, believes there will be an adjournment after the ongoing vote.
The sixth attempt to install a speaker is expected to go just like the five before it — 3:44 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
As the voice of the House announced the clerk would begin the sixth roll call vote, a Democrat called out from the floor: “I have a good feeling about this one!”
And so began the sixth attempt to install a speaker, that everyone expected to proceed just like the five before it.
Jeffries and Donalds are also nominated for speaker again — 3:31 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representative Pete Aguilar again nominated Hakeem Jeffries, and Representative Scott Perry nominated Byron Donalds.
Republican suggests Democrats are drinking alcohol, prompting party to erupt with anger — 3:23 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
The mood has soured on the House floor.
In her nominating speech of McCarthy, Kat Cammack made a crack suggesting Democrats were drinking, and Democrats erupted with anger. They called for her words to be taken down — a formal process where remarks are stricken from the Congressional Record when they malign another member — but there is no process for doing so because the House has not adopted any rules.
As the din settled and Cammack continued, she offered a rhetorical question about whether Republicans were still the party of Ronald Reagan. Democrats snarkily called out “NO.” The clerk is banging her gavel more and more frequently to restore House “decorum.”
‘Well, it’s Groundhog Day again,’ says Republican nominating McCarthy — 3:23 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
Several lawmakers have made a joke about the definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results).
And yet, as Wednesday wore on, nothing had changed. As the House began the sixth roll call vote, the impasse was not lost on anyone. “Well it’s Groundhog Day, again,” said Florida Representative Kat Cammack, who had the honor of being the sixth lawmaker to make a nominating speech for McCarthy.
Then, as she said she wanted to “address the American people,” Democrats let out a loud, collective groan and the clerk banged the gavel for order.
House begins sixth round of voting for speaker — 3:16 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House is voting in the sixth round for speaker, and Representative Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican, has nominated Kevin McCarthy.
Watch the vote live.
Who is Representative Byron Donalds, the lawmaker some Republicans are backing instead of McCarthy? — 2:58 p.m.
By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff
The Republicans obstructing Congressman Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become the next US House speaker on Wednesday afternoon were throwing their support to a GOP lawmaker from Florida, Representative Byron Donalds.
So who is Congressman Donalds?
Kevin McCarthy loses fifth vote for House speaker — 2:41 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House again failed to elect a House speaker in a fifth round of voting, with Representative Kevin McCarthy again falling short of a majority of votes.
The results are the same as the fourth ballot. Twenty Republicans opted to support Florida Representative Byron Donalds, and all Democrats continued to support Representative Hakeem Jeffries.
The final vote was 212 votes for Jeffries, 201 votes for McCarthy, 20 votes for Donalds, and 1 present vote.
Follow along with our vote tracker — 2:19 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
As members of the House are taking the fifth vote for speaker, follow along with our live vote tracker.
Boebert calls on Donald Trump to tell McCarthy ‘it’s time to withdraw’ — 1:58 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Representative Lauren Boebert, a firm Colorado conservative, nominated Representative Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican and the chosen protest candidate of the day — and called for former president Donald Trump to tell McCarthy, “`Sir, you do not have the votes and it’s time to withdraw.”
McCarthy, Jeffries, Donalds again nominated for House speaker — 1:52 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio nominated Kevin McCarthy for a fifth House speaker ballot.
“I plead with all of my Republican colleagues: let cooler, more rational heads prevail,” Davidson said.
Representative Pete Aguilar again nominated Hakeem Jeffries, and Representative Lauren Boebert nominated Byron Donalds.
House moves to fifth round of voting. Watch it live. — 1:43 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
After failing to elect a speaker for the fourth time, the House is moving on to a fifth round of voting.
Watch it live.
A look behind the long waits in between rounds of voting — 1:33 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
In between rounds of voting come long waits.
Every vote series, a small group of lawmakers serve as official tellers, taking hand-written logs of the votes. Then, those vote sheets are compared and tabulated at the dais. It’s been taking about a half hour to make each vote series official.
In the interim, there’s a din of mingling. This intermission, several members of the anti-McCarthy group are engaged in an animated discussion with other lawmakers in a huddle in the center aisle. It’s clear that emotions are running high.
These 20 Republicans voted for Byron Donalds — 1:26 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
On Tuesday, 20 Republicans voted for Representative Jim Jordan. On Wednesday, they voted for Florida Representative Byron Donalds. Here are their names:
For the first time in two days, there was a present vote in the latest round of round — 1:18 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
The fourth round of balloting concluded on Wednesday with no substantive developments in either direction. But there was one change in the vote totals — Representative Victoria Spartz of Indiana waited until all the lawmakers had voted to cast hers.
Instead of voting for McCarthy, as she had been doing, she voted present (after a visit from a McCarthy emissary, according to Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman).
It’s something to watch. Votes of “present” lower the threshold required to win the speakership. At the same time, Spartz’s decision took a vote away from McCarthy.
McCarthy fails to win fourth vote on second day of GOP stalemate over leader — 1:14 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Republican Kevin McCarthy failed for the fourth time to gain enough support from his party to win election as House speaker on the second day of a GOP stalemate over the position.
Twenty Republicans opted to support Florida Representative Byron Donalds. All Democrats continued to support Representative Hakeem Jeffries.
The final vote was 212 votes for Jeffries, 201 votes for McCarthy, 20 votes for Donalds, and 1 present vote.
As fourth vote continues, Democrats say they have no plans to help Republicans out of mess — 1:01 p.m.
By Tal Kopan and Jim Puzzanghera, Globe Staff
As the second day of the 118th Congress dawned Wednesday, one chamber technically had no members.
“There isn’t any House,” said California Democratic Representative Anna Eshoo, who has served since 1993.
As Washington was spellbound by the drama unfolding in the new House Republican majority, with Kevin McCarthy of California failing on three consecutive votes Tuesday to secure the speaker’s gavel, questions were emerging about how the House could function going forward. And Democrats said they had no plans to help them out of the mess.
The mood in the House chamber is different than Tuesday — 12:51 p.m.
By Tal Kopan, Globe Staff
The mood in the chamber is clearly different than yesterday. Gone are most of the flourishes that members made as they cast their votes, replaced by a parade of names repeated over and over.
Smatterings of applause are still popping up, but they’re more muted. Many members are on their phones, passing the time.
Republicans who declined to support McCarthy Tuesday continue voting for others — 12:43 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Globe reporter Tal Kopan notes that after dozens of votes on Wednesday, the same Republicans who declined to support McCarthy in multiple votes on Tuesday are continuing that trend.
The only difference: They’re throwing their support behind Republican Byron Donalds instead of Jim Jordan, Andy Biggs, and others.
Democrats are still uniting behind Hakeem Jeffries.
House begins voting for fourth time. Watch it live. — 12:30 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The House has started voting for the fourth time for House speaker. Watch the vote live.
McCarthy, Jeffries, Donalds nominated for House speaker — 12:28 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Republican Representative Mike Gallagher nominated Kevin McCarthy for House speaker. Democratic Representative Pete Aguilar nominated Hakeem Jeffries. And Republican Representative Chip Roy nominated Republican Byron Donalds.
The McCarthy ally quickly re-nominated him for the job with a rousing speech designed to peel off detractors.
“Sure, it looks messy,” said Gallagher, of Wisconsin. But he said there was no place he’d rather be than in the new House GOP majority. “The American people are in charge,” he said.
McCarthy himself entered the chamber saying, “We’ll have another vote.”
House gavels in for second day of speaker vote — 12:10 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The House gaveled in at noon Wednesday, and McCarthy’s allies quickly asked for a quorum count, to buy time as lawmakers-elect made their way to the chamber floor.
House Republicans’ inability to unify behind speaker candidate is ‘embarrassing,’ President Biden says — 11:45 a.m.
By the Associated Press
President Joe Biden said House Republicans’ inability to unify behind a speaker candidate, which has prevented the chamber from beginning its legislative business, was “embarrassing” and “not a good look” for the country.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday before traveling to Kentucky for an event to highlight last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Biden said of Republicans, “I hope they get their act together.” Biden said that “the rest of the world is looking” at the chaotic scenes on the House floor but that his focus was on “getting things done.”
Kevin McCarthy scrounges for votes as GOP fight over speaker enters its second day — 11:30 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The House will try again on Wednesday after Tuesday’s stalemate essentially forced all other business to a standstill, waiting on Republicans to elect a speaker.
“Today, is that the day I wanted to have? No,” McCarthy told reporters late Tuesday at the Capitol after a series of closed-door meetings. Asked if he would drop out, McCarthy said, “It’s not going to happen.”