McCarthy loses first vote for House speaker, forcing a second voting round
Updated January 3, 2023 at 2:00 PM ET
California GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the necessary votes to become speaker of the House in a first round of voting after 19 House Republicans voted against him.
McCarthy had the lion's share of Republican votes, however, some conservatives voted for Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs and other nominees.
Republican Jim Jordan of Ohio spoke in support of McCarthy after the first round tally was announced, urging his colleagues to support him in the second.
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"The differences we may have ... pale in comparison to us and the left, which now unfortunately controls the other party," Jordan said. "So, we had better come together ... That's what the people want us to do, and I think Kevin McCarthy is the right guy to lead us, I really do, or else I wouldn't be up here giving this speech."
Democrat Rep. Hakim Jeffries of New York, nominated for speaker by Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, had more votes in the first round, with 212, while McCarthy trailed with 203. Ten Republicans voted for Biggs, and nine voted for other candidates.
Democrats stuck together with overwhelming support of Jeffries, noting his historical nomination as first Black legislator to lead a congressional chamber. Many who voted for Jeffries did so enthusiastically, which was met with cheers and applause.
McCarthy was nominated by House Republicans for the top leadership job in November but hours before his party takes control of the House of Representatives he's scrambling to lock down a majority to get the gavel.
Previous speakers have faced defections in the first vote of the session to install the top leader, but it's the first time in 100 years a speaker needed multiple ballots to win.
The California Republican faces a bloc of critics who want changes to the way the House operates. Although he's given in to many of their demands, he remains short of the votes needed. Instead of celebrating their return to the majority on the first day, McCarthy and other GOP leaders were sorting out how to respond to an open rebellion that will showcase division and cast doubt on their ability to govern.
Ahead of the vote that will decide his speakership — and ultimately his political legacy — McCarthy said he would continue to fight, no matter how many votes it takes.
"I have the record for the longest speech ever on the floor. I don't have a problem getting a record for the most votes for speaker, too," McCarthy told reporters Tuesday morning.
Concessions didn't cinch the vote on first round
Republicans will only hold razor-thin majority — just four seats — after Democrats had a better-than-expected showing in competitive contests in the 2022 midterms. Of those who voted against McCarthy on Tuesday, many holdouts sought and got support for new rules on how legislation is considered in the House, and how oversight investigations of the Biden administration will be structured.
McCarthy also agreed to to change a rule that would allow a group of five members to offer a resolution to remove the speaker. He insisted for weeks he wouldn't agree to lower the threshold on how many sponsors are needed on a "motion to vacate the chair" because it effectively weakens the power of the speaker. But McCarthy gave into pressure from those on the right since he has such a small margin and can't afford more than a few defections.
Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Scott Perry, a leading McCarthy critic who signed onto a letter with nine other Republicans circulated on New Year's day, tweeted: "nothing changes when nothing changes." He cited the letter, which states "the times call for a radical departure of the status quo — not a continuation of the past, and ongoing Republican failures."
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning, Perry said he and other members planning to vote against McCarthy took a plan to him Monday night, outlining what he needed to do to win their support, and thus 218 votes to win. While McCarthy agreed to some of their requests, McCarthy still rejected other demands, like bringing a bill to the floor to impose term limits for representatives.
"We took an offer to him last night with things that are completely and wholly within his purview. He rejected it summarily," Perry said Tuesday morning.
Vote for speaker heads to multiple ballots
A first-ballot failure is embarrassing to the top Republican who led his party's efforts to win back the majority. McCarthy ran for speaker in 2015 when then House Speaker John Boehner stepped down, but withdrew abruptly from the race after conceding he didn't have the votes to win. In the last couple of election cycles, McCarthy led the political effort for House Republicans — raising, along with affiliated super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, roughly a half a trillion dollars and campaigning for GOP candidates across the country. He and his allies predicted a "red wave" in the fall, but ended up eking out just a four-seat majority.
The public vote on the House floor showcased the GOP divisions and chaos. Ahead of the vote, McCarthy's allies insisted they won't vote for any alternative candidate, and even if it's messy, they will stick with him.
But nothing else can happen in the House of Representatives until a speaker is elected. It's the only leadership position mentioned in the Constitution.
There have been some discussions about trying to rally around a consensus candidate, but McCarthy's allies have been pushing what they say is an "O.K. " strategy — "Only Kevin." There is potential for the process to drag out for hours or even days if McCarthy is unable to convince some of the holdouts to back him.
McCarthy's No. 2, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, has publicly backed McCarthy and predicted he will be elected speaker. But if McCarthy fails to convince enough members to back him GOP members could turn to Scalise as a potential alternative — or some other conservative candidate.
Scalise, who is in line to serve as House majority leader, released an agenda for the first two weeks of January. He pledged the House would vote on measures to cancel the boost in funding to hire more IRS agents, and bills dealing with border security and abortion. But until the speaker is elected, the House committees can't form, members cannot be sworn in to start the new session, and the rest of the business is stalled out.
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