House speaker vote: McCarthy thanks Trump for final votes as fight nearly breaks out on floor
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Your support makes all the difference.Kevin McCarthy was finally elected speaker of the House of Representatives after 15 rounds of voting, clinching the gavel just after midnight on Saturday.
The longest contest for speaker of the House of Representatives in more than a century finally came to an end as six remaining Republican holdouts opted to vote “present”, giving Mr McCarthy a majority over Democrat Hakeem Jeffries.
Earlier, Republican House member Mike Rogers had to be physically restrained after lunging at Matt Gaetz amid chaotic scenes in the House.
Congressman Richard Hudson grabbed Mr Rogers by his face and physically pulled him away.
In his first speech as speaker, Mr McCarthy thanked former president Donald Trump for “helping get those final votes”.
Mr McCarthy’s bid had been delayed by a group of far-right Republicans including the likes of Lauren Boebert and Mr Gaetz.
However, on Friday he made significant progress in the 12th ballot, managing to flip a total of 14 representatives-elect in his favour after lengthy negotiations.
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Shock scenes as Republican held back in confrontation with Matt Gaetz during Speaker vote
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Freshman Rep Keith Self votes for Jim Jordan taking total votes against McCarthy to 19.
Donald Trump Jr voices support for McCarthy
In an Instagram post Donald Trump Jr voiced his support for Kevin McCarthy ahead of this today’s vote.
“Hearing we could end up with a never-Trump or Dem as Speaker,” he wrote.
“McCarthy committed to a Select Committee on the politicization of Federal Law Enforcement & real investigations into the Biden Admin & the border.
“But we won’t get any of that with a Never-Trump as Speaker!”
Roll call vote completes with 19 defectors voting against McCarthy
On the first ballot, Democrat Hakeem Jeffries got 214 votes and Kevin McCarthy got 201.
No one wins until they hit 218 (with a quorum of 434 as it currently stands).
Andy Biggs got 10 votes, Jim Jordan got six, and Banks, Zeldin, and Donalds all got one each.
Overheard on the House floor: “Hakeem won! Hakeem won!”
Full story: McCarthy fails to win the first round of speaker vote in the House
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy failed to secure enough votes to obtain the speaker’s gavel, after a drawn-out fight with conservatives in his conference.
Republican hardliners had criticised Mr McCarthy’s bid to become speaker of the House of Representatives ever since the GOP won the House majority in November. House conservatives had pushed to include a motion to vacate the chair, which would allow for House Republicans to stage a no-confidence vote. Nineteen Republicans voted against Mr McCarthy’s bid for speaker.
Eric Garcia reports from the US Capitol.
Kevin McCarthy fails to win the first round of House speaker vote
Nineteen Republicans vote against his nomination to lead the House
What next?
Kevin McCarthy says the speaker race could last for days as reporters in the Capitol say their sources tell them the McCarthy team wants to move directly to a second ballot.
Mr McCarthy told ABC News that 19 votes against him is exactly where they thought they’d be.
A slightly grimmer assessment form Jake Tapper on CNN: “It is difficult to see how this process ends with a Speaker McCarthy.”
House Democrats enjoy GOP chaos
As the chaotic ballot for speaker is underway House Democrats tweet: “As we begin the 118th Congress, House Democrats are united and ready to get to work For The People. Working families are looking for solutions, not chaos.”
Members are huddling in conversation around House chamber, including some odd pairings.
Democratic Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was seen speaking with both Matt Gaetz and Paul Gosar.
As clerk announces second vote, Jim Jordan nominates McCarthy
The clerk just announced there will be a second roll call vote and recognised Rep Jim Jordan of Ohio, who rose to nominate Kevin McCarthy for speaker.
Mr Jordan gained six votes for himself in the first round of voting. Some reporting from the floor of the chamber suggests the Never Kevin group want to make Rep Jordan himself the speaker.
In a call to rally around McCarthy, Mr Jordan says: “I would just say this — the differences we may have the differences between Joyce and Jordan or Biggs and Bacon, they pale in comparison to the differences between us and left now unfortunately in controls of the other party.”
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