The United States House of Representatives failed to elect a speaker in the first round of voting for the first time in almost a century, when Republican Kevin McCarthy was unable to win a majority in the chamber to replace Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
Prior to the lawmakers’ vote to adjourn the first session of the House on Tuesday, McCarthy was unable to override opposition within his caucus in any of the three rounds of voting.
Despite the fact that Republicans narrowly won control of the house in the midterm elections in November, a number of McCarthy’s own party’s right-wing lawmakers have refused to support him for the speakership.
Excluding absent lawmakers and those who mark their ballots as “present,” the speaker needs to receive a majority of the votes. McCarthy required 218 votes on Tuesday, but only received 203 because 19 Republicans abstained on the first two rounds. He lost one more vote in the third round, reducing his total to 202.
In the initial vote, the majority of Republican dissidents supported either Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio or Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona. Jordan, a right-wing firebrand, received all 19 Republican votes against him in the second round. In the third round, Jordan increased his total to 20 votes.
Paul Gosar, a congressman from the extreme right, had nominated Biggs before voting started on Tuesday. Jordan personally cast three votes for McCarthy while not running for speaker.
McCarthy was renominated by Jordan in the second round, and in response, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, an extreme conservative, nominated Jordan, conceding that the Ohio representative is not interested in the position.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, garnered 212 votes overall, more than McCarthy, but given that his party is in the minority, he was never really a contender.
McCarthy, a Republican from California, led the House minority after Democrats won the majority in 2019.
On Wednesday, lawmakers will meet again to vote one by one until a speaker candidate has a majority. Without a new speaker, the House will continue to be effectively non-functional.
Democratic colleagues in the House clap for Hakeem Jeffries.
As the nation’s most powerful legislator and the second in line to become US president, the speaker has a significant impact on the bills and amendments that are given consideration.
One of the two chambers that make up the US Congress is the House. It approves federal laws, allots funding for the government, and ensures supervision along with the Senate.
Republican Biggs of Arizona urged McCarthy to “step down” after the first round of voting so that Republicans could select a new leader on the second ballot.
McCarthy is still far shy of 218 votes, which was confirmed after we had just completed half the ballot, he said on Twitter. “My colleagues have made it plain that we need a new leader for our party,”
McCarthy had bargained with the politicians who opposed his bid for speaker, making compromises that were thought to lessen his influence if he were to win the position.
He has pledged to pay attention to the concerns of right-wing members, which includes looking into the economic dealings of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden, a subject that Democrats dismiss as a hoax.
In addition, McCarthy has threatened to look into and impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, over his handling of immigration at the southern border.
Additionally, he pledged to reinstate Marjorie Taylor Greene’s committee assignments after she was removed from congressional panels in 2021 due to anti-Jewish and Islamophobic remarks.
McCarthy yet failed to stifle far-right opposition despite his assurances.
McCarthy hinted at his willingness to endure numerous voting rounds earlier on Tuesday. He told reporters, “I will always work to put the American people first, not a select group of folks that want something for themselves. So even though there may be a fight on the [House] floor, I don’t mind because it’s for the country and the [Republican] conference.
Also claiming to be in it for the long haul, his opponents. Scott Perry, one of the prominent Republicans who disagreed with the outcome, posted on Twitter, “I stand strongly dedicated to change the status quo no matter how many ballots this takes.
Democrats, however, have said that Republicans’ inability to agree on a speaker is evidence of the GOP’s lack of leadership.
“None of this is beneficial to our nation. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, stated on social media, “None of it.
Jamie Raskin, a prominent House Democrat, accused McCarthy of covering up “right-wing insurrectionism” that he said took place during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot by calling the unresolved votes a “once-in-a-century embarrassment” for McCarthy.
Democrats might support McCarthy by casting their ballots for him or by abstaining during the subsequent voting rounds to reduce the overall number of votes, which would make it simpler for him to win a majority. Congressman Eric Swalwell, though, has rejected the notion.
