McCarthy loses speaker seat 14 times in a row

January 16, 2023

Representative Kevin McCarthy has made history in the House of Representatives: for the first time in 100 years, the speaker of the house vote occurred more than one time. It took not one, not three, not ten, but fifteen rounds of voting to elect Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.

There is a very narrow Republican majority in the House, meaning that Kevin McCarthy needed 218 votes if all members were present.

For the first few rounds of voting, 19 Republicans voted against McCarthy, causing him to lose the vote.

The Republicans that were opposed to McCarthy are Rep. Andy Biggs from Arizona, Rep. Dan Bishop (NC), Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO), Rep.-elect Josh Brecheen (OK), Rep. Michael Cloud (TX), Rep. Andrew Clyde (GA), Rep-elect Eli Crane (AZ), Rep. Byron Donalds (FL), Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL), Rep. Bob Good (VA), Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ), Rep. Andy Harris (MD), Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna (FL), Rep. Mary Miller (IL), Rep. Ralph Norman (SC), Andy Ogles (TN), Rep. Scott Perry (PA), Rep. Matt Rosendale (MT), Rep. Chip Roy (TX), Keith Self (TX)

McCarthy was able to flip two votes on the third and fourth round but was still unable to win the seat.

He was able to flip thirteen more on Friday, and finally on the 15th round, six Republicans stated they were present allowing for McCarthy to get voted in.

Before the vote finally went through, there were tense moments on the house floor. Matt Gaetz got into an altercation with McCarthy supporter, Mike Rogers.

Now that the House officially has a speaker, all newly elected Representatives can be sworn in, a process that had been on hold since the first failed vote at the beginning of the New Year.