House speaker vote live updates: Jim Jordan loses first round

Table Of Content

• McCarthy cites progress, says he prefers no more votes Wednesday night
• Republican Rep.-elect Spartz votes "present" after previously backing McCarthy
• Rep.-elect Ralph Norman says negotiations in "round one," expects talks to continue into weekend
• Johnson played a leading role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
• Republicans gear up for potential long night as Kevin McCarthy seeks to wear down opposition
• Rep. Matt Gaetz votes for Donald Trump for House speaker

Rep.-elect Maxine Waters of California yelled at Rep.-elect Matt Rosendale of Montana on the House floor Thursday, one of 20 Never-Kevin Republicans who are vying for a candidate other than McCarthy to take the position. Entering the sixth vote on Wednesday, Rep.-elect Kat Cammack of Florida accused Democrats of sitting by with "popcorn and blankets and alcohol," drawing boos from the left. Now in its fourth day, the process has lengthened out to 12 failed votes without a clear end in sight.

McCarthy cites progress, says he prefers no more votes Wednesday night

The 11th vote for House speaker late Thursday was on track to yield another non-decision, as more than five Republicans voted for someone other than Kevin McCarthy. Asked whether he'd change his vote Thursday should the chamber continue their rounds of votes, Norman said, "I'm voting for Byron Donalds." Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy has so far not been able to strike a deal with about 20 Republican holdouts who have voted for other members of the GOP during 11 rounds of balloting over three days. "I’m never getting sworn in am I?" Rep-elect Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, tweeted Thursday afternoon, as members were anticipating another round of votes. It won’t be easy, automatic or immediate, according to House lawmakers who themselves were processing the information in real time as details of the deal emerged. But a written framework for rules in the 118th Congress was released on Thursday that McCarthy's allies hope will allow many of the GOP lawmakers who have been voting against McCarthy all week to eventually support him.

Republican Rep.-elect Spartz votes "present" after previously backing McCarthy

Last call came, before the Republicans voted to go to a 15th ballot instead of adjourning — an unexpected opportunity for another viewing party. Even before the votes had been secured, many at the bar seemed convinced that electing a speaker was inevitable as the vote drew closer to a close. Pats on the back and smiles were exchanged, and many turned their attention away from the TVs. The dramatic moment was captured on C-SPAN’s video cameras, which, lacking the typical restraints placed upon them in a House with a speaker, were free to show whatever moments from the floor its operators deemed newsworthy. The vitriolic attack on the top candidate for speaker from a member of his own party led some of Mr. McCarthy’s supporters to walk off the House floor while he spoke. And by the end of the day, with the majority of the detractors finally coalescing around Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Gaetz appeared to have softened his tone.

Rep.-elect Ralph Norman says negotiations in "round one," expects talks to continue into weekend

Mike Johnson clinches GOP House speaker nomination hours after Tom Emmer drops out: Highlights - NBC News

Mike Johnson clinches GOP House speaker nomination hours after Tom Emmer drops out: Highlights.

Posted: Tue, 24 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

That would lower the threshold for McCarthy and could potentially help him win the Speakership – depending on WHO is absent. A Wisconsin Republican congressman-elect blasted Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., for "dragging" out the speaker fight to fundraise off of it. Members were still missing two votes on the final tally and it appears McCarthy is a single vote shy of winning. With Republicans having 222 members in the chamber, McCarthy could only afford four defectors. The result seemed to surprise McCarthy and his team, many of whom started an intense discussion with Gaetz in an apparent attempt to sway him to change his vote to one in support of McCarthy. But with only 432 votes cast, the McCarthy needed 217 to clinch it, and fell short by a single vote.

Johnson played a leading role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

If McCarthy allies are trying to adjourn, that means they didn’t make enough progress to wrangle the votes or improve McCarthy’s status. It also means that the endorsement by former President Trump didn’t move the meter. If all McCarthy supporters vote for the motion, they would need at least some help from Democrats or some of the anti-McCarthy forces to pass the motion. "A big part of the reason this is playing out is because the election was disappointing," Cruz said.

Kevin McCarthy late Friday failed to succeed in his 14th bid for House speaker after indicating confidence in a victory and two of his GOP opponents appeared to clear the way for a victory by voting "present." The motion to adjourn ultimately failed with 155 Republicans voting to adjourn, while 67 Republicans and all 212 Democrats voting to remain in session and hold another Speaker vote. Republicans now believe he has the support he needs to win and all eyes are on Rep-elect Matt Gaetz. With a 15th and final vote late Friday evening, the House of Representatives appears to be on the path to electing Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to be its next House Speaker.

One of the bills coming up would crack down on antisemitism by forcing the government to adopt a definition that has been criticized for equating condemnation of Israel with prejudice against Jews. The top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, wrote to the Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, asking him to hold a vote on a different piece of legislation that has bipartisan support – we’ll see if that goes anywhere. Speaking of Johnson, all eyes are on Marjorie Taylor Greene, the far-right congresswoman who is attempting to boot him from the speaker’s post for his collaboration with Democrats. But a Jordan speakership would also come with baggage that could present a challenge to Republicans as they labor to hold their House majority in next year’s election, an effort that will likely hinge on drawing support from moderate voters in swing districts.

Rep. Matt Gaetz votes for Donald Trump for House speaker

Jim Jordan lacks enough support on first House speaker round: Next vote scheduled for Wednesday - NBC News

Jim Jordan lacks enough support on first House speaker round: Next vote scheduled for Wednesday.

Posted: Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., stressed "unity" during a press conference on Thursday, but pivoted when asked about comments from a Democrat in his caucus who called Republican Rep.-elect Byron Donalds a "prop" earlier in the week. Hern has previously stated he backs House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker. He received two votes in the eighth round despite not being officially nominated. The nomination of Hern, R-Okla., in the ninth round of votes is in addition to other GOP-alternative nominee Rep.-elect Byron Donalds. "The colleagues that I brought with me to offer those 218 votes on the first ballot aren't there anymore. It is not happening. And as it's been said, we need to get to a point where we start evaluating what life after Kevin McCarthy looks like," she said on the floor. The ninth vote ties the number of votes needed in 1923 to decide on a speaker – 2023 will now exceed that, as a 10th vote will be needed at least.

With the GOP’s slim majority in the House, McCarthy can only afford to lose four members of his caucus, so it’s unclear if this deal will give him the speakership. The House of Representatives held three votes on Tuesday, three votes on Wednesday and five votes on Thursday, but each failed to have a candidate reach the 218-vote threshold to lead the chamber. Lawmakers said the framework gives members of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) who have been resisting McCarthy virtually everything they’ve been asking for.

Shortly after Emmer was elected as the GOP's nominee for speaker, several conservative lawmakers publicly announced plans to vote against him when the House convenes for a formal floor vote. An earlier version of this article misstated the number of votes Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana received in House Republicans’ internal election to choose a speaker nominee. Any candidate for speaker can lose only a handful of votes and still win the speakership because Republicans hold such a small majority in the House. In a secret-ballot vote on Tuesday night, Mr. Johnson got 128 votes, with 44 Republicans voting for nominees not on the ballot, including 43 for Mr. McCarthy, whom many view as unfairly ousted. Still, in a separate vote afterward, only a few Republicans indicated they would not back Mr. Johnson on the floor, while about 20 Republicans were absent. On the eve of the Jan. 6 votes, Mr. Johnson had honed his arguments undermining the election to be more palatable.

After three days and 11 votes, the House of Representatives has still not elected a new speaker for the 118th Congress. Rep.-elect Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, confirmed to Fox News he will not be in Washington, D.C., for speaker votes Friday. McCarthy flipped 14 votes to his side for the first time in the first Friday vote. Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., switched her vote from present to McCarthy. Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., flipped his vote Friday to support Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker, and told Fox News Digital that he trusts McCarthy will "do the job necessary to lead" the GOP conference and the chamber.

Jordan’s supporters are confident that the public floor vote will force the remaining holdouts to flip their way. Kevin McCarthy narrowly won the speakership in January on the 15th round of balloting, after five excruciating days. GOP lawmakers are expected to rally their votes behind Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to be the next speaker despite reluctance from some who are wary of his hardline approach.

Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a founder of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus and someone Mr. Johnson has described as a mentor, was the next member to be elected speaker designate in a secret ballot. He had Mr. Trump and the far right in his corner, but ultimately failed to win over more centrist members of his party who steadfastly refused to support him. In Congress, Mr. Johnson has voted for a national abortion ban and co-sponsored a 20-week abortion ban, earning him an A-plus rating from the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. After the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in June last year, he celebrated.

After days of contention over stopgap spending measures to avert a federal shutdown, Mr. McCarthy, with the support of more than 200 Democrats, managed on Saturday to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through mid-November. As they’d promised to do, hard-right Republicans, led by Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, called for Mr. McCarthy to be removed from his post, culminating on Monday evening, when Mr. Gaetz filed the ultimately successful resolution to declare the speakership vacant. The House is scheduled to start voting at noon in what could become a showdown for the gavel.

If McCarthy can’t secure enough votes, it’s not clear who could, though some Republican members have floated the possibility of working with Democrats to elect a moderate speaker. The House’s failure to elect a speaker on the first three ballots throws into chaos the beginning of a divided government in Washington, delaying the swearing-in of members of the House, GOP committee assignments and votes on the rules that will govern the new Congress. Rebellious Republicans who had voted for alternatives in the first round of balloting voted in unison the second time around for Jordan, who also picked up Donalds’ support in the third round. The House speaker election hasn’t required multiple ballots in a floor vote since 1923, when Rep. Frederick Gillett (R-Mass.) was elected on the ninth ballot. According to the House historian, every speaker election that went more than three rounds lasted at least nine, with one going to 133 ballots in the mid-1800s. Nineteen Republicans voted for candidates other than McCarthy on the first and second ballots.

He told reporters Johnson had 84 votes, and 31 votes were cast for other candidates. Reps. Roger Williams of Texas and Mark Green of Tennessee are no longer in contention for the speaker nomination after the second round of votes by Republicans. Johnson, a former radio host from Louisiana, was first elected to Congress in 2016. Rep. Mike Johnson won on the final ballot for GOP speaker, defeating Rep. Byron Donalds, according to a tweet by Rep. Elise Stefanik. McCarthy, who was not a nominee, received 43 votes, and there was one other vote of "present." Johnson, who was first elected to Congress in 2016, voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results.