McCarthy appears to lose another round of voting, two days into a historic GOP stalemate
NOW: McCarthy nominated for speaker in 5th round of voting
House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy was nominated for House speaker once again by Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio after he failed to garner enough votes to win in three rounds on Tuesday and another round on Wednesday.
“We’re on the precipice of such a destructive argument today. I plead with all, all of my Republican colleagues: let cooler, more rational heads prevail. Let us unite as Republicans to elect the next speaker of the House,” he said in his nomination speech.
McCarthy told CNN earlier that he was not worried if his opposition grew on the fourth ballot. “It doesn’t matter — I have the most votes,” he said.
McCarthy fails to win speakership on fourth ballot
From CNN’s Annie Grayer, Clare Foran, Kristin Wilson and Manu Raju
Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed in his fourth attempt to secure the House speaker’s gavel, with 20 Republicans voting for Florida Rep. Byron Donalds.
The group switched their collective support from Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan to Donalds. Additionally, GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted present, lowering McCarthy’s threshold to 217.
Spartz, a McCarthy supporter, told CNN she voted present because she wanted to allow for more negotiations within the conference to address the concerns of the 20 members. She gave McCarthy a heads up ahead of time.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had the unanimous support of his caucus.
Here’s a look at the final tally:
- 212 for Jeffries
- 201 for McCarthy
- 20 for Donalds
- 1 present vote
McCarthy allies talking to some of the 20 opposition members on the floor
From CNN’s Annie Grayer
House GOP Kevin McCarthy’s allies — including Republican Reps. Jim Jordan, Mike Gallagher, Jason Smith, Barry Loudermilk and others — have been seen throughout the vote today on the House floor trying to negotiate with some of the 20 GOP lawmakers who oppose McCarthy, including Reps. Andy Harris, Ralph Norman, Matt Gaetz and Scott Perry.
The conversation between Gaetz and Gallagher has attracted a crowd in the middle of the floor, and Gaetz appears to be speaking animatedly.
GOP Rep. Byron Donalds was also seen talking to other McCarthy allies, Reps. Jodey Arrington and Lisa McClain.
These conversations on the floor show how Republicans are grasping to make deals and get unified behind a speaker.
GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz voted present, dropping threshold to win speakership to 217
From CNN’s Annie Grayer
GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz voted present, meaning she abstained from voting, during the fourth ballot for House speakership.
This is significant because it drops the threshold Kevin McCarthy needs to 217, but he is still far from that.
She had previously backed McCarthy, so her voting present is not a good sign. She didn’t vote when her name was initially called. She voted present after speaking to GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry, one of Kevin McCarthy’s deputies.
More background: A majority of those present and voting is required to get the speakership, which is usually 218 lawmakers. But if enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was elected with 216 votes in 2021.
CNN’s Zachary B. Wolf contributed to this report.
Senate Republicans growing weary of messy House brawl
From CNN’s Lauren Fox
As While House Republicans remain divided over the future of their conference and who will be their next leader, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell is taking a different tact today — appearing in Kentucky today beside President Joe Biden.
It’s a stark reminder of the vastly different ways the two men will lead their conferences, assuming House GOP leader McCarthy can ever get the speaker job.
It also comes as Biden is speaking out for the first time against the GOP infighting, saying it’s “embarrassing” and “not a good look” on the world stage.
The messy floor fight is also making some Senate Republicans nervous about how their House colleagues could hurt them in a future election.
“I am always reluctant to comment on the House, but I think they got some speed bumps over there and I hope they can get them behind the and when they do, they will have an effective governing majority,” Senate Majority Whip John Thune told CNN.
Thune said he hopes that this is short-lived and that House Republicans vent and get it out of their system.
“They can keep grinding it out for a while but at some point, somebody’s going to have to blink,” Thune said. “I don’t know that anybody knows that’s going to happen next, but I hope they figure it out because there is a lot riding on us having an effective functioning House majority.”
McCarthy appears to lose 4th round of voting
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy appears to have failed to lock down the votes needed for speaker again as the House continues voting for a fourth round.
It’s unclear how many members are on the floor.
Fourth round of voting for House speaker begins
From CNN’s Annie Grayer, Clare Foran and Kristin Wilson
The House of Representatives has begun its fourth round of voting for speaker.
Rep. Chip Roy nominates Rep. Byron Donalds for House speaker in 4th round of voting
In the fourth round of voting for House speaker, embattled Rep. Kevin McCarthy has another opponent.
Texas Rep. Chip Roy nominated Florida Rep. Byron Donalds on Wednesday for the position.
“We do not seek to judge people by the color of their skin but rather the content of their character,” he said. “There’s an important reason for nominating Byron, and that is, this country needs a change. This country needs leadership that does not reflect this city, this town that is badly broken.”
McCarthy tells CNN “it doesn’t matter” if he loses more votes this round
From CNN’s Manu Raju, Morgan Rimmer and Kit Maher
House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy told CNN that he is not worried if his opposition grows on the fourth ballot.
“It doesn’t matter — I have the most votes,” he said.
He said there is no one else in the conference who has more votes than him.
Rep. Jim Jordan, as he left McCarthy’s office, said he has urged the dissidents not nominate him again.
“Yes I have been clear about that,” Jordan said.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/house-speaker-leadership-vote-1-4-23/index.html
