The new Republican House majority was born into instant chaos Tuesday afternoon: Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to secure a majority of votes needed to become Speaker of the House.
In fact, the vote wasn’t even that close.
One by one, lawmakers were called by their name and voted for their preferred candidate. All 212 Democrats voted for incoming Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). But only 203 Republicans voted for McCarthy, with 10 voting for Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), six voting for Jim Jordan (R-OH), and three other Republicans individually casting votes for Jim Banks (R-IN), Byron Donalds (R-FL), and former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).
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McCarthy lost 19 Republicans on the first ballot when he could only lose four.
For much of the speakership race, only five House Republicans had been on the record opposing McCarthy, with that number growing slightly just before the vote. But during the roll call, several members who had been on the fence went against McCarthy, as did some unexpected names—all troubling signs for the California Republican.
That roll call was just the first ballot in a process that could require many more by the time a new speaker is decided. It’s the first time in 100 years that the speaker’s race has gone to a second ballot—uncharted territory for the modern House, and uncharted territory for the House Republican conference.
Lawmakers then moved briskly toward a second vote—but not before Jordan stood up to give a speech imploring his colleagues to vote for McCarthy and rallying for the GOP agenda. The move was clearly designed to sway his supporters to break for the GOP leader, but to some of McCarthy’s detractors, Jordan’s call to arms reinforced why he should be Speaker. And notably, Jordan never told members to refrain from voting for him.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who nominated Jordan, said the Ohio Republican had just shown more “vision” in that speech than McCarthy had; Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), meanwhile, tweeted that Jordan made “a compelling case to be speaker." At the end of Gaetz’s nominating speech, which was clearly prepared before Jordan ever spoke, McCarthy was laughing.
When the second round had finished around 3:15 p.m., McCarthy hadn’t won over a single Republican who hadn’t voted for him in the first round. Instead, all 19 of them supported Jordan on the second ballot, once again leaving McCarthy short of the votes.
On the third ballot, the momentum shifted slightly—and away from McCarthy. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who voted for McCarthy on the first two ballots, switched to Jordan on the third. In a series of tweets posted after the third vote concluded at around 5 p.m., Donalds declared McCarthy "doesn’t have the votes."
“Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps," Donalds said, "but these continuous votes aren’t working for anyone."
While Donalds' defection didn’t presage a larger jailbreak of McCarthy support, it was the first time all day that the GOP leader had lost a member who had previously voted for him.
But McCarthy continued to try and flex his muscle. Ahead of the third vote, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the number two Republican, gave the speech nominating McCarthy. It was a pointed choice, given that the GOP leader's longtime lieutenant is an obvious top contender for the gavel should McCarthy’s bid falter.
Meanwhile, while acknowledging that Jordan didn’t want it, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), nominated the Ohio Republican for another ballot. "This is what it takes to get 435 people in the chamber to have an actual debate," Roy said.
In the days leading up to the speaker vote, McCarthy and his allies insisted they would go as many rounds as it took to elect the California Republican. Dozens have promised to not vote for anyone except for him. “We’ll be here until the Fourth of July voting for McCarthy,” Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) told Politico on Tuesday.
On the floor Tuesday, McCarthy received a mixed welcome as he entered the chamber. Walking down the center aisle, one or two members began to clap—and then stopped. As Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) gave his nominating speech, approximately a dozen members remained in their seats while the vast majority stood for an applause.
Roy kept his head down and was periodically scrolling through his phone. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who reportedly shouted “bullshit” at McCarthy’s argument in a closed-door conference meeting that same morning, also remained in her seat.
It was a stark juxtaposition to the other side of the aisle. Although in a thin minority, Democrats cheered through the process of nominating Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for speaker. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said Jeffries could spread love in the “Brooklyn way,” adding that Democrats were “united,” in an apparent subtweet to his conservative colleagues.
Jeffries sat toward the front, while outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a seat in the back alongside her fellow Democrats.
As voting began, Biggs himself was the first defection, voting for himself. Others followed and occasionally threw in stray names—such as Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), who voted for Lee Zeldin, the New York Republican who just left Congress. Technically, the Speaker of the House does not have to be a member, but a non-member has never wielded the gavel.
Some, like Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), voted for Jordan. Rep.-elect Josh Breechen (R-OH) voted for Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN). Murmurs erupted each time—notably from the Democratic side—with someone on the floor shouting in a questioning voice, “Banks?”
Throughout most of the lengthy vote, McCarthy sat fairly still, without much emotion. By the time voting was around one-fifth through, he’d already lost seven votes. He could only lose four before losing the bid altogether.
When the time came for McCarthy to vote for himself, most of his caucus stood in applause. At that point, there were already 12 GOP votes against him.
Dynamics could change quickly as the House continues voting. If McCarthy repeatedly proves unable to reach the 218 vote threshold needed to get the gavel, pressure could mount on him to bow out. No serious rival to McCarthy has yet emerged, but his detractors have insisted that they would if he falls short.
Scalise, McCarthy’s longtime deputy, is an obvious candidate. He has publicly backed the GOP leader, but he notably declined to answer a reporter’s question Tuesday morning on whether he would refuse to run for the post.
First elected to the House in 2006, McCarthy has been House Republicans’ leader since 2019. In 2015, he ran to be Speaker, but bowed out before the vote when he failed to earn enough support from conservative members. In November, during a closed door, secret ballot vote, 188 Republicans voted to nominate McCarthy, with 31 voting for Biggs.
