(Conservative Free Press) – Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), the incoming House Democratic leader, during the first ballot vote for Speaker, managed to win nine more votes than House Republican Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.).
Jeffries won 212 while McCarthy only won 203 votes in the first ballot. Still, as neither of them managed to secure the 218 votes necessary in order to become Speaker neither won the coveted position.
The Speaker election immediately went into a second vote, which provided McCarthy with an opportunity to secure a majority. However, he did not manage to win the necessary votes in the second vote either. The process is going to continue until someone wins the required number of votes. This is the first time in a century when the Speaker election has required more than one round for a Speaker to be elected, marking another historic first following the unprecedented 2022 midterm elections.
On the Republican side, 19 Republicans voted against McCarthy, with 10 of those votes being given to Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). This is further evidence of the rift that exists between the party and the lower chamber.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) won 6 votes, while Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), and former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) each received one vote. In the vote, no member voted “present” or were absent.
Jordan made a speech ahead of the second ballot vote in which he urged all GOP lawmakers to vote in favor of McCarthy. This is particularly important as the Republicans managed to win the 2022 election with a very narrow majority of 222 seats. This margin means that McCarthy had very little room for losing votes from his own party.
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