House adjourns for the day with NO Speaker after Kevin McCarthy lost three ballots: GOP's first day with majority ends in farce with 20 rebels backing Jim Jordan instead of their leader
- The new House of Representatives gaveled into its first session on Tuesday
- Nearly two dozen of Kevin McCarthy's fellow Republicans voted against his bid to be House Speaker in the first and second rounds
- After 20 Republicans voted for Rep. Jim Jordan in the third round, the House recessed for the night
The Republicans' first day in the House majority ended in farce as Kevin McCarthy lost three ballots for Speaker because of opposition from a growing group of conservative rebels.
Twenty House Republicans threw their support behind GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, who has repeatedly said he does not want the gavel, and sunk McCarthy's bid to take the position on the opening day of Congress.
The House adjourned after the third vote until noon on Wednesday, ensuring that for the first time in more than 100 years a Speaker was not chosen in the opening vote.
It comes after 19 Republican rebels derailed McCarthy's first and second vote to become Speaker- throwing the party further into chaos on their first day in the majority.
The third round of votes saw McCarthy's hopes of the top spot in the House shrink even further, with at least one more Republican voting against him.
When his name was called for a vote Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds dropped McCarthy in favor of joining the conservatives who backed Jordan.
He said afterwards that McCarthy simply does not have the votes to be Speaker.

Rep. Steve Scalise, the incoming House Majority Leader, nominated Kevin McCarthy ahead of the third round of House Speaker votes

And as expected, another conservative McCarthy critic - this time, Rep. Chip Roy - rose to nominate GOP Rep. Jim Jordan in his place
'Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps,' Donalds wrote on Twitter. 'But these continuous votes aren't working for anyone. When the dust settles, we will have a Republican Speaker, now is the time for our conference to debate and come to a consensus.'
It is the first time in 100 years a Speaker has not been chosen in the first ballot.
Now McCarthy, who can only afford to lose four votes out of the 222 Republican members, is facing an uphill battle to take over the gavel from Nancy Pelosi.
If the 20 Republicans stand firm in their opposition of McCarthy, the GOP will have to find another candidate or the leader will have to find another way to gain their support.
He has already given concessions, including the motion to vacate the chair, in an unsuccessful bid to win their backing after heated meetings and negotiations. Congress cannot start official business until a Speaker is elected.
Jordan nabbed six GOP votes in the first round, despite previously stating that he did not want the job.
He then rose to nominate McCarthy of California ahead of the second vote, calling on his party to 'come together' in spite of conservatives' open rebellion against him.
But McCarthy's critics resisted. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, among his most vocal detractors, in turn rose to nominate Jordan for the gavel.
Gaetz said Jordan's speech nominating McCarthy showed 'more vision than we’ve ever heard from our alternative.'
'Maybe the right person for the job of Speaker of the House isn't someone who has sold shares of themselves for more than a decade to get it,' Gaetz said.
McCarthy smiled faintly as Gaetz railed against him.
He told reporters after his second failure, 'We're unified. This isn't about me. This is about the conference now because the members who are holding out.'
GOP Rep. Bob Good, another member of the so-called 'Never Kevin' coalition, told reporters in between rounds that conservatives wanted Jordan specifically because the Ohio Republican said he does not want to be Speaker.
'He’s a reluctant warrior who I think is gonna ultimately answer the call of his country,' Good told reporters including DailyMail.com.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reacts to cheers from supporters in his caucus as he is nominated for House Speaker for a second time today

One of McCarthy's biggest opponents, GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, then stood to nominate Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio for the Speakership

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got a standing ovation after she cast her vote for Democrats' new leader Hakeem Jeffries

Some members of the House of Representatives were seen keeping tallies of the votes
Republican Rep. Pete Sessions signaled that he believes Tuesday's vote could be a long one - complicating a day that's normally reserved for ceremony and new members of Congress' celebrations with family.
'I don't think anybody's gonna get tired that's here right now. And then at some point, somebody's gonna have to figure out at what point enough is enough,' Sessions told reporters between the second and third round votes.
He noted that 'the whole world is watching' the GOP squabble over their leadership.
McCarthy lost the first round of votes for the Speakership earlier in the afternoon, kicking off a dramatic session that is expected to last hours.
Nineteen House Republicans backed someone other than McCarthy in the initial vote.
McCarthy ended up finishing second behind House Democrats' new leader Hakeem Jeffries. McCarthy clinched 203 votes, while Jeffries won the support of all 212 members of his caucus.
It's the first time in a century that a House Speaker was not elected on the initial round.
It became apparent soon after the roll call vote began that McCarthy did not have the votes to outright win the gavel.
Audible gasps could be heard in the cavernous House chamber as more than a dozen Republican lawmakers stood in defiance to the California legislator's bid.
Proceedings began with GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik nominating McCarthy, as expected, and Democrats' new No. 3 Pete Aguilar naming the 118th Congress' new Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Then, far-right Rep. Paul Gosar stood to nominate GOP Rep. Andy Biggs - one of the original five Republican lawmakers to lead opposition to McCarthy.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) receives applause from fellow Representatives at the start of start of the 118th Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 3, 2023 in Washington, DC

McCarthy embraced New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik after she formally nominated him

Like McCarthy, Democratic Leader Hakeen Jeffries also got a standing ovation from his party when his name was put forward as a Speaker candidate
Over the course of the vote, however - done in alphabetical order - some members threw wild cards into the mix. Biggs got 10 of the rebel votes, while nine members voted for someone else.
GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert cast her vote for fellow GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, who himself voted for McCarthy and has said he does not want the job.
Freshman Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen cast his vote for Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, last year's Republican Study Committee chairman.
Another conservative member, Rep. Andy Harris, voted for Lee Zeldin - who left Congress at the end of last year to unsuccessfully run for governor of New York.
Throwing yet another twist into McCarthy's would-be ascent, conservative Rep. Chip Roy put his support behind pro-Donald Trump Republican Rep. Byron Donalds.
It had been reported earlier that conservatives would offer up Biggs as a spoiler to McCarthy to prevent him from reaching a majority threshold.
Voting is done in rounds until a majority consensus is reached.
When Congress comes back into session Wednesday, it's unclear how many more rounds lawmakers will go.
GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw indicated to DailyMail.com earlier on Tuesday that he would stick by McCarthy no matter how much time it took.

After both McCarthy and Jeffries were nominated, as expected, far-right Rep. Paul Gosar (pictured) stood to put conservative Rep. Andy Biggs' name into the mix

Many of McCarthy's dissenters also voted for Rep. Jim Jordan for Speaker - despite the Ohio Republican claiming he did not want the job

McCarthy appeared on edge at times during the first round of votes but was careful not to let much emotion slip
Echoing a similar sentiment, Republican Rep. Kat Cammack told reporters after House Republicans' closed-door meeting earlier today: 'Kevin McCarthy will be Speaker of the House. I don't care if it's the first ballot or 97th ballot.'
The GOP's public disputes over their next House Speaker has put their majority in the chamber off to a bumpy start.
House Republicans held a closed-door meeting before the vote where McCarthy made a last-ditch appeal to his critics, telling them he's 'earned' the right to the Speaker's gavel.
His impassioned remarks did not sway his critics - namely, the five GOP lawmakers who swore to never support him - but it did seem to put allies' minds at ease.
Rep. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican who previously said he'd be open to working with Democrats to find an alternative Speaker if the McCarthy rebellion succeeded, told DailyMail.com after the meeting, 'I think we’re not gonna get there after today.'
He said McCarthy 'did a great job' in his appeal for the gavel.

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul was seen in the viewing gallery for the vote

Embattled Congressman-elect George Santos was seen by himself for much of the time, rarely interacting with his soon-to-be-colleagues
McCarthy himself told reporters after the meeting that he could see 'maybe 20' members of his own caucus voting against him - at least on the first round.
'I will always fight to put the American people first. Not a few individuals that want something for themselves. So we may have a battle on the floor,' the GOP Leader said.
In the House chamber ahead of the Speaker vote, members were milling around socializing - many with young children in tow.
McCarthy confidently schmoozed with new and old members, appearing unperturbed by his inter-party battle.
Congressman-elect George Santos, who's been embroiled in scandal over misrepresentations about his background, sat by himself in a corner of the chamber.
He rarely spoke to anyone except for a handful of Republicans who were seen briefly shaking his hand.
Also in attendance was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul, who was recently hospitalized after a brutal attack by a home intruder looking for his wife.
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