Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) needed 218 votes to become Speaker of the House. He could only lose four Republican votes.
We all knew five Republicans vowed not to vote for McCarthy. We heard about a few more who were on the fence.
On Tuesday morning, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) said she would not vote for McCarthy, bringing the number to six.
Little did we know that the number against McCarthy would blossom into double digits.
The House went through three rounds.
The Democrats nominated election denier Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in all three rounds. Reps. Elise Stefanik, Jim Jordan, and Steve Scalise nominated McCarthy in each round.
Rep. Paul Gosar nominated Andy Biggs in the first round. Rep. Matt Gaetz nominated Jordan in the second round. Rep. Chip Roy nominated Jordan in the third round.
Yes, Jordan received a nomination right after he nominated McCarthy. Jordan said he didn’t want the job.
McCarthy lost 19 votes in the first and second rounds. Then he lost 20 votes in the third round.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) called to adjourn the House until tomorrow.
The House adjourned and will meet again tomorrow at 12 PM ET. I’ll set up another live blog but I won’t be able to update it as much since I have a few appointments.
Jordan also told CNN he doesn’t want to become Speaker:
Rep. Jim Jordan said Tuesday there is no chance he will become speaker of the House.He told CNN he wants to be House Judiciary chairman, adding that he would lobby his colleagues to back GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy.In a speech nominating McCarthy before the second round of voting, Jordan said he believed McCarthy was the right guy for the job and encouraged Republicans to “rally around him.”But hardliners said they were not backing off their opposition — and, in fact, expect the opposition to grow.“We are done with Kevin McCarthy,” said Rep. Bob Good, with Rep. Matt Gaetz echoing similar thoughts.
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