Yahoo News

On Friday afternoon, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, managed to gather many opposing members on his side in a bid for the 12th and 13th historic houses, despite the loss.

During the 12th round, fourteen individuals who had previously opposed McCarthy on Thursday changed their votes in his favor, receiving applause from GOP members in the chamber. In the 13th round, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., Also switched sides.

The House will continue voting indefinitely until a majority settles on a candidate. He was told by CNN after the 13th that he believed he had the votes to be elected speaker on Friday night, but he only still can afford defections from four of the most.

After previously opposing McCarthy, Republicans from Indiana, Victoria Spartz, Texas, Keith Self, Roy Chip, and Pennsylvania, Scott Perry, as well as Tennessee, Andy Ogles, South Carolina, Ralph Norman, Illinois, Mary Miller, Florida, Anna Luna, Arizona, Paul Gosar, Florida, Byron Donalds, Georgia, Andrew Clyde, Texas, Michael Cloud, Oklahoma, Josh Brecheen, and North Carolina, Dan Bishop, switched their votes in the 12th round of voting this week.

When Luna cast her vote, she mentioned “ongoing discussions in a sincere manner” while Self stated “We are moving forward.”

This is the initial occurrence since 1923 where the procedure has required more than one ballot, and the first time since 1859 that it has demanded more than nine rounds. McCarthy was defeated in three rounds of voting on Tuesday, three rounds on Wednesday, and five rounds on Thursday.

There is no requirement for the current member of the House to be eligible technically to be the speaker. Former President Donald Trump and Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., Included Donalds, were voted for by Republicans as alternate candidates. One “present” vote by Republicans saw 20 Republicans choose another candidate rather than McCarthy, which hurt his cause.

In the course of Gaetz’s speech on Friday, a few GOP members exited, despite Jordan’s unwavering backing of McCarthy. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, put forward Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as an alternative nominee on Friday, following his nomination of Trump on Thursday.

McCarthy opposed the retention of six votes that came from Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, and Matt Rosendale of Montana.

Mark Meadows, who previously served as the chief of staff in Trump’s White House, organized a gathering at the think tank where several members who oppose McCarthy came together on Friday morning, according to Yahoo News. Although Trump showed his backing for McCarthy on Wednesday morning, it had no impact on any of the dissenters. McCarthy addressed reporters during a conference call on Friday morning and stated that he was able to sway some of the votes against him prior to the final decision.

McCarthy, one of the 139 GOP representatives who objected to the formal counting of electoral votes won by Biden, attempted to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. This happened on January 6, 2021, which coincided with the two-year anniversary of Friday’s votes, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

After changing his vote, Bishop, the congressman from North Carolina, stated that the courageous stance of 20 incoming members has secured an agreement that significantly advances in that regard. I arrived in Washington with the intention to alter the existing state of affairs.

On Twitter, Perry, a right-wing Republican from Pennsylvania, wrote that an agreement framework has been negotiated in good faith to restore the rightful ownership of the People’s House and is a turning point for Caucus Freedom.

McCarthy, along with other top Republicans, joined a plan to push for cuts in programs like Medicare and Social Security in order to avoid defaulting on the national debt. They were pushing to ensure that there was no clean vote on raising the debt limit later this year, and McCarthy was one of the key figures in Trump’s attempt to overturn the election, which has been investigated by the Department of Justice.

The most important person who can deliver on all the promises we have made is someone who can unite our party and is not beholden to lobbyists, especially when it comes to the American people who sent us here. “We need a leader who is not part of the broken system,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Formally nominated by Rep. Hern, R-Oklahoma, to the ninth vote. McCarthy has said that there is a need for new leadership and that he opposes the status quo in Congress.

Throughout Wednesday night, he offered additional compromises to the opposing side. McCarthy tried to win over his GOP detractors by supporting modifications to the rules, including one that would simplify the process for a smaller group of members to challenge leadership through a procedure called vacating the chair, and also sought favorable committee assignments for those critics.

On Tuesday, during a private meeting, McCarthy, who had previously been unsuccessful in his attempt to become speaker in 2015, urged the party to back him, stating, “I deserve this position.” He and his supporters have pledged to persist with multiple votes if necessary, but it is conceivable that he may be compelled to step down, or that an alternative candidate who is widely accepted, like Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise, will arise.

Nathaniel Prentice Banks decided upon a period of two months and 133 votes, which occurred during the 34th Congress in 1855. Frederick Gillett assumed the position of speaker after nine votes in 1923, marking the most recent instance when the election of a House speaker required more than one vote.

After resigning last month, New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries took over from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the leader of their party’s House, and Democrats have continued to support him.

Pelosi informed reporters on Wednesday about her Republican colleagues, urging them to accomplish the task for the American people. She expressed her disappointment towards their disregard for the obligation we all share to honor and safeguard the Constitution of the United States, as well as their lack of respect for this establishment. She further commented that she found this moment to be incredibly disheartening when asked to describe it.

Speaking at the White House, President Biden called the chaos among Republicans “embarrassing” and noted that they need to get their act together before focusing on their own agenda. He expressed hope that they can work together and achieve positive results.