For the first time in a century, the vote to choose the Speaker of the House of Representatives for a new session of Congress went beyond the first ballot — and as of Wednesday morning, had yet to be determined, in spite of Republicans having a majority of seats in the congressional chamber.
For any person to become speaker, they must attain a majority of votes from within the House — 218 votes total. If no one reaches that number, the House must repeat the vote, continuing the process of nominating and voting on candidates until one of them achieves a majority.
Intraparty squabbles resulted in Republicans failing to unify behind House GOP Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California). According to McCarthy, who spoke to reporters prior to the first vote, a coalition of far right lawmakers was unwilling to negotiate with him in good faith, making demands for congressional committee posts he couldn’t compromise on.
“Last night I was presented [with the idea that] the only way to have 218 votes [was] if I provided certain members with certain positions,” McCarthy said on Tuesday morning.
McCarthy met with Republicans behind closed doors shortly after that statement, berating those who were still committed to voting against him and arguing that he had “earned” the job.
Three rounds of voting took place on Tuesday, with McCarthy failing to win a majority all three times. The Democratic Party’s nominee, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), won the plurality on all three occasions.
In the first round, 19 Republicans voted against McCarthy, with 10 voting for Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Arizona) and nine votes going toward other GOP candidates. In the second round, all 19 opposing votes went to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), in spite of Jordan urging his supporters to vote for McCarthy. And in the third round, McCarthy lost by a slightly larger margin, with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Florida) switching his vote from McCarthy to Jordan, for a total of 20 Republicans backing Jordan over McCarthy — again, in spite of Jordan saying he didn’t want the speakership.
The House may reconvene on Wednesday at noon to continue the process of trying to select a speaker.
Following his embarrassing losses in all three rounds, McCarthy expressed frustration toward the lawmakers who stood in the way of him becoming speaker, arguing that their actions were selfish.
“This isn’t about me,” he said to reporters. “This is about the conference now because the members who are holding out … they want something for their personal selves.”
Democratic lawmakers noted that McCarthy’s inability to rein in extremists within his party is likely an indication of how the GOP will govern in the future.
“[Republicans’] inability to select a Speaker and their extremist and unpopular legislative priorities have proven that they’re unserious and incapable of competent governance,” Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-New Mexico) said in a statement.
“The last time a Speaker wasn’t elected on the first vote was 100 years ago,” tweeted Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington). “One day in and Republicans are already making history — by proving they cannot govern.”
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $81,000 in one-time donations and to add 1250 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy