(TownHall) Well, it happened again. As still not sworn in members-elect of the House of Representatives reconvened at noon on Thursday, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California was nominated for Speaker of the House along with Democrat Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Byron Donalds (R-FL) as the GOP alternative to McCarthy.
And, yet again, the GOP Leader failed to secure the majority support he needed to claim the speaker’s gavel and begin the work of the people in the lower chamber.
7th Ballot:
On the seventh ballot, McCarthy received 201 votes, Jeffries won the support of 212 members, and GOP-alternative candidate Byron Donalds was backed by 18 members. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) cast his vote for former President Donald Trump, and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) voted “present.”
U.S. House Speaker Election Seventh Ballot Result:
Kevin McCarthy – 201
Hakeem Jeffries – 212
Byron Donalds – 19
Others – 1
Present – 1 #118thCongresshttps://t.co/uM3YASr9l3 pic.twitter.com/3YB4iDlKYg— CSPAN (@cspan) January 5, 2023
Essentially, the math against McCarthy remained unchanged.
With seven losses in three days, McCarthy’s deadlocked Republican majority is raising fears about what — once a speaker is elected — the GOP-controlled House will be able to accomplish.
Republicans have promised to hold the Biden administration accountable for multiple crises created or worsened by the president. They’ve also pledged to help Americans who are struggling as a result of two years’ worth of harmful Democrat policies. But if Republicans can’t even agree on who should lead the House, is there any hope of significant accountability for Democrats or noticeable help for Americans?
As the third day of the 118th Congress began on Thursday with Republicans still not out of the starting blocks, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) warned that a seventh consecutive loss for McCarthy without any progress would cause the GOP Leader to lose credibility.
Big moment for McCarthy coming at noon. If he can’t show progress on seventh ballot, he could lose defectors — including Ken Buck, who says McCarthy will lose “credibility” pic.twitter.com/DtrNQWdBH2
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 5, 2023
Well, in terms of progress, there was none. And that trend continued through Thursday afternoon.
8th Ballot:
On the eighth ballot which immediately followed the seventh round, McCarthy — again — failed to get enough votes to seize the gavel and formally begin the House’s work.
The math simply is not moving in McCarthy’s favor, nor is it shifting away from him. The eighth ballot had the same general result as the previous several rounds: 201 for McCarthy, 212 for Jeffries, 20 votes for other Republicans, and one vote of “present.”
U.S. House Speaker Election
Eighth Ballot Result:
Kevin McCarthy – 201
Hakeem Jeffries – 212
Byron Donalds – 17
Others – 3
Present – 1 #118thCongresshttps://t.co/uM3YASr9l3 pic.twitter.com/EPDkAhZkfa— CSPAN (@cspan) January 5, 2023
In the eighth failed round, those “other” votes saw 17 go to Donalds, two for Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), and one vote for former President Donald Trump.
9th Ballot:
And again on the subsequent ninth ballot, McCarthy failed to move the needle enough to secure a majority to finally get his hands on the speaker’s gavel.
The Republican Leader’s loss on the ninth ballot necessitated a 10th. That means McCarthy’s quest to become speaker has seen more ballots than any other race in since the 1800s.
