12th House Speaker Vote Underway

The 12th vote for House speaker Friday was on track to yield another non-decision, as more than four Republicans voted for someone besides House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

The latest vote comes as McCarthy
attempts to negotiate a deal with his critics largely in the conservative House Freedom Caucus. McCarthy has claimed a deal is imminent, but HFC members have countered there is still progress to be made.

Rep.-elect Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was nominated for the speaker post by Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who asked if continued attempts to elect McCarthy were an “exercise in vanity.”

Jordan has continued to support McCarthy for speaker despite previous nominations from his colleagues to oppose him.

Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., added another nomination for Rep.-elect Kevin Hern, R-Okla.

Rep.-elect Austin Scott of Georgia, an ally of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, claims that Rep. Matt Gaetz’s leadership in the GOP civil war against McCarthy is “very personal.”

Gaetz is so confident that Democrats will not rally around a moderate Republican alternative as House Speaker that he has vowed to resign if it happens.

“If Democrats join up to elect a moderate Republican, I will resign from the House of Representatives. That is how certain I am,” the Florida Republican said on “Ingraham Angle.”

He added, “I can ensure your viewers that will not happen.”

Scott said he likes Gaetz and does not want him to quit his position in Congress, but voiced concern that his actions were damaging the legislative process.

“I want Jim Jordan to run the Judiciary Committee, I want James Comer to run the Oversight Committee, I wanted Jim and James to get to work yesterday, and I don’t want Matt Gaetz to resign,” Scott said.

“I actually like having people in Congress that can’t be pushed around,” he continued. “The problem is that while this is very personal for Matt, the consequences of his actions are damaging to America, people who actually want him here, and quite honestly him.”

Speaker-hopeful Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., just spoke with reporters as he walked over to the House chamber. 

Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie asked him if he’s cut a deal yet to which he replied “no.”

He later said “watch and you’ll see” that he has gained votes.

Rep.-elect Ken Buck, R-Co., will be absent for the 12th vote for House speaker on Friday. According to a GOP aide, Buck is in Colorado for a medical procedure and will be back in Washington, D.C., later Friday evening.

Buck has voted for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in eight of the 11 votes so far, missing votes 9-11.

Rep.-elect Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, confirmed to Fox News he will not be in Washington, D.C., for speaker votes Friday.

Hunt is flying home to visit his wife, who delivered their child this week.

Hunt is a supporter of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. His absence could leave McCarthy with fewer votes as he attempts to rally a majority of votes for speaker.

Rep.-elect Ken Buck, R-Colo., had to leave the nation’s capital Thursday afternoon for a medical appointment but is expected to return Friday, but after the first vote.

Rep.-elect Roger Williams, R-Texas, has stayed in Washington, D.C., as his wife suffers a medical emergency. Rep.-elect Kevin Hurn’s mother died this week and he is expected to attend her funeral Saturday. All three are McCarthy allies.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) inaugurated a record-setting number of members this week, despite denying Republican Rep.-elect Byron Donalds.

At the start of the 118th Congress, Democrats celebrated reaching 58 members in the CBC, and a record number of Black members elected to Congress.

Donalds has stated interest in joining the CBC
since the 2020 campaign trail. Despite repeated attempts to gain membership, he has yet to be accepted into the caucus.

The CBC has not had a Republican members since 2019.

“While the CBC has predominately been made up of members of the Democratic Party, the founding members of the caucus envisioned a non-partisan organization. Consequently, the CBC has a long history of bipartisan collaboration and members who are both Democrat and Republican,” the CBC website reads.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Freedom Caucus lawmakers blocking his bid for speaker of the House have not yet reached an agreement to end the four-day stalemate, but sources familiar tell Fox News that they are making “progress,” and that negotiations are in a “good spot.” 

During a House GOP caucus conference call Friday morning, a source familiar told Fox News that McCarthy said he and Freedom Caucus members who have blocked him during the last dozen roll call vote for speaker of the House—like Rep. Chip Roy—are “working in good faith.” 

The source also said McCarthy said they are in a “good spot,” but that a deal has not yet been reached. 

A spokesperson for Roy denied reports that McCarthy and Freedom Caucus members had formally struck an agreement, but did tweet Friday that they are “making progress.” 

“No deal yet,” a source close to Roy told Fox News.

House Freedom Caucus (HFC) member Troy Nehls claims Rep. Kevin McCarthy is aware that he will need the caucus’s support to get future bills passed if he ascends to House Speaker.

“Kevin is aware that any legislation he would like to pass out of this House will require support and endorsement from the Freedom Caucus,” Nehls said on the House floor. “This is where I believe we can hold the speaker accountable.”

Nehls made the statement Thursday during another session of unsuccessful votes to determine a Speaker of the House.

“Kevin McCarthy understands, he understands he must protect that speaker’s gavel and abide the will of the American people,” Nehls said. “The decisions we make in the 118th Congress are critical to the future of our country. The decisions we make, the legislation we pass as a Republican majority must have the support of the American people.”

Accountability has been a major theme in the ongoing GOP civil war. HFC members have voiced concern that appointing McCarthy as House Speaker without key concessions would lead to a disregard of their concerns.

A senior member of the House GOP leadership brass told Fox News Friday the thought is that the House will conduct at least one vote today at noon for speaker and then see where they stand. 

It’s going to be rather damning for House Speaker candidate Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., if the House votes shortly after noon ET and he still fails to alter any votes.

“People are starting to get antsy,” said the Republican. 

When asked if the drama may be solved today, the Republican said those chances were “low.”

“We made progress in the negotiations,” said the source. “But I don’t know that it’s changed any votes yet.

Fox News is also told this could bleed into the weekend. Members prefer to stay here to solve this first. 

The other concern is that Republicans are starting to lose members-elect who need to be elsewhere. Fox News is told there are “a few” who will likely be absent Friday. But that number is “low.” It is believed to be around three to four.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says congressmen shouldn’t go home until their “work” is “done” in electing a Speaker of the House.

McCarthy made the comment to Punchbowl News late Thursday night on his way out of the Capitol.

“We shouldn’t leave,” McCarthy told Punchbowl News around 9:45 p.m. Thursday as he left the Capitol. “Why should we leave if we haven’t got our work done?”

The suggestion comes after McCarthy’s eleventh failed bid for Speaker of the House.

A working weekend could prove dangerous for McCarthy as lawmakers with conflicting schedules may be forced to leave the Capitol and jeopardize his already slim majority.

However, McCarthy remains unworried about a timeline, focusing on his desired results.

“I’m not putting any timeline on it,” McCarthy said. “The entire conference is going to have to learn how to work together. So it’s better that we go through this process right now so we can achieve the things we want to achieve for the American public, what our commitment was. So if this takes a little longer and it doesn’t meet your deadline, that’s okay, because it’s not it is not how you start. It’s how you finish.”

House Republican leadership invited all elected members to join a conference call Friday morning to discuss the latest deal on the table aimed at delivering Kevin McCarthy the 218 votes he needs to become the next House speaker.

The call is for members only, and will take place at 10:15 a.m. ET.

Several Republicans were at the Capitol late into the night Thursday meeting in GOP Whip-elect Tom Emmer’s office to review the deal on paper.

Lawmakers said the framework gives members of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) who have been resisting McCarthy virtually everything they’ve been asking for.

That includes a stronger HFC representation on key House committees, guardrails aimed at curbing excessive federal spending, and allowing just a single member of the House to make a motion to replace the speaker, lawmakers familiar with the framework told Fox News.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson, Kelly Phares and Pete Kasperowicz contributed to this report.

Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., suggested the House may continue negotiations and votes on the speakership throughout the weekend if needed.

“We shouldn’t leave,” McCarthy told Punchbowl News around 9:45 p.m. Thursday as he left the Capitol. “Why should we leave if we haven’t got our work done?”

Punchbowl reported McCarthy insisted it is unlikely the House
adjourns for an extended period of time until a speaker is elected. This could mean the House continues to work and vote throughout the weekend if they are unable to reach a majority Friday, when they reconvene at noon.

The weekend poses a potential challenge for McCarthy, as he works to negotiate with a slim majority. Rep.-elect Ken Buck, R-Colo., had to leave the nation’s capital Thursday afternoon for a medical appointment — and other members may have conflicts as well. Rep.-elect Roger Williams, R-Texas, has stayed in Washington, D.C., as his wife suffers a medical emergency. Rep.-elect Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, may return home as his wife gave birth this week. Oklahoma Rep.-elect Kevin Hurn’s mother died this week, and he wants to attend her funeral on Saturday.

The drama surrounding Republican leader Kevin McCarthy’s stalled bid to become the next speaker of the House has garnered nationwide attention, and now, those who oppose McCarthy’s nomination, including one prominent Democrat, are asking their supporters for financial support.

The House of Representatives headed into its eleventh vote to determine the House speaker on Thursday night as 21 Republicans continue to withhold their support for GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.

Of the 21 Republicans, at least two – Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz and Arizona GOP Rep. Andy Biggs – have issued emails to supporters calling for donations amid their fight to prevent McCarthy from obtaining the speaker’s gavel.

In a Thursday evening email from Gaetz, who has seemingly led the GOP movement against McCarthy in the House, the congressman wrote: “Maybe the right person for the job of Speaker of the House isn’t someone who has sold shares of himself for more than a decade to get it…”

Like Gaetz, Biggs, who has strongly opposed McCarthy’s bid for speaker, also sent out a campaign email requesting financial assistance from his supporters, according to New York Times reporter Nick Confessore.

“We BLOCKED Kevin McCarthy from becoming Speaker of the House,” Biggs reportedly wrote in the email. “…but now, we conservatives must lead the fight to get the leadership we deserve. Saving this country from Joe Biden and the Left is going to be tough. That’s why we need a leader who has the record, skill, and ferocity to lead the House GOP.”

In an email titled “embarrassing chaos” – which was sent Thursday evening by incoming Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries – the newly elected Democratic leader told his supporters that he lacks the total number of donations to “show that Democrats are united and ready to lead our country.”

After 11 votes in three days that went nowhere, signs emerged Thursday night that Kevin McCarthy may finally have a viable path to becoming the next House speaker.

It won’t be easy, automatic or immediate, according to House lawmakers who themselves were processing the information in real time as details of the deal emerged. But a written framework for rules in the 118th Congress was released on Thursday that McCarthy’s allies hope will allow many of the GOP lawmakers who have been voting against McCarthy all week to eventually support him.

Lawmakers said the framework gives members of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) who have been resisting McCarthy virtually everything they’ve been asking for. That includes a stronger HFC representation on key House committees, guardrails aimed at curbing excessive federal spending, and allowing just a single member of the House to make a motion to replace the speaker, lawmakers familiar with the framework told Fox News.

McCarthy had been resisting that last demand and was hoping to require at least five House members to make a motion to “vacate the chair.”

GOP lawmakers who have so far denied McCarthy the 218 votes he needs to become speaker said it will take time to review the framework. Rep.-elect Ralph Norman of South Carolina told Fox News that “this is round one” and that “we still have a ways to go.”

Read more on Fox News Digital: GOP deal emerges late Thursday that could give McCarthy a path to the speakership

After three days and 11 votes, the House of Representatives has still not elected a new speaker for the 118th Congress.

This delay has caused some Democrats to doubt whether Republicans who are in disagreement will come to terms anytime soon.

“I’m never getting sworn in am I?” Rep-elect Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, tweeted Thursday afternoon, as members were anticipating another round of votes.

Peltola won office in November when she defeated former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

The House of Representatives held three votes on Tuesday, three votes on Wednesday and five votes on Thursday, but each failed to have a candidate reach the 218-vote threshold to lead the chamber.

A deal is on the table that is expected to see 10 to 12 Republican holdouts throw their support behind GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital.

With the GOP’s slim majority in the House, McCarthy can only afford to lose four members of his caucus, so it’s unclear if this deal will give him the speakership.

A group of 20 Republicans threw their support behind Rep.-elects Byron Donalds and Kevin Hern during votes on Thursday.

The House has failed to elect a speaker despite 11 rounds of balloting over the past three days. Lawmakers will meet again at noon on Friday.

The House voted to adjourn until noon on Friday after five more rounds of balloting to elect a speaker failed on Thursday.

Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy has so far not been able to strike a deal with about 20 Republican holdouts who have voted for other members of the GOP during 11 rounds of balloting over three days.

The vote to adjourn was largely split along party lines, with 219 Republicans in favor and 212 Democrats against. One Republican also voted against and two Republicans did not vote.

Congressman-elect Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who has voted against California Republican Kevin McCarthy in his bid for Speaker told reporters Thursday evening that negotiations on the deal struck by friends and foes of McCarthy is in “round one,” and expects talks to go into the weekend.

“This is round one girls and guys,” Norman said.  When asked what he meant, he replied, “We still have a ways to go.” 

Referring to the deal, Norman “this is the first time we had it, today…a piece of paper to look at.” 

Asked whether he’d change his vote Thursday should the chamber continue their rounds of votes, Norman said, “I’m voting for Byron Donalds.”

When asked if he expects to be at the Capitol through the weekend, he said, “Probably, yes.”

Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy and many of the GOP members who have opposed his speakership have come to a tentative deal that meets “basically all” of the demands made by the House Freedom Caucus (HFC), and could get McCarthy to the 218 votes he needs in the near future, several GOP and Democratic lawmakers told Fox News.

Under the agreement that’s still under review, McCarthy has agreed to give HFC members a stronger presence on key House committees, impose new controls on spending, and allowing a single member of the House to make a motion to remove the speaker, lawmakers said. That last item was one on which McCarthy initially offered a five-member minimum to “vacate the chair.”

The deal also includes a requirement that legislation must be introduced for 72 hours before it can be passed and a guaranteed vote on term limits, according to Rep.-elect Ralph Norman of South Carolina.

Lawmakers said they believe these changes could get McCarthy exactly 218 votes at some point, after a few remaining issues are settled with a handful of members. That implies that McCarthy’s side expects four GOP lawmakers to remain opposed to him, but he can lose that many and still win the speaker’s gavel if all others support him.

In light of these developments, lawmakers say McCarthy could be in a position to become the next speaker over the next few days, barring additional requests for changes along the way.

Because some Republican members are expected to be absent on Friday, the deal may not be able to be finalized until early next week.

Other members were slightly less optimistic about the deal. Rep.-elect Michael McCaul of Texas said Thursday he thinks about half of the 20 Republicans will be swayed by the deal, which means McCarthy might still have to chip away at the remaining opposition.

This update was based on reporting by Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich, Brianna McClelland and Tyler Olson.

The 11th vote for House speaker late Thursday was on track to yield another non-decision, as more than five Republicans voted for someone other than Kevin McCarthy.

The late series of votes has essentially become a way for members to kill time as GOP negotiators were working off the floor to deliver a deal that unifies Republicans around Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy.

Rep.-elect Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, an ally of McCarthy’s, told reporters moments earlier that an agreement has been written and is currently being pored over by McCarthy’s side and members of the House Freedom Caucus.

Rep.-elects Kevin McCarthy and Andy Ogles were spotted in an animated discussion on the House floor Thursday amid the GOP Leader’s bid for the speakership.

Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, is one of 20 members who have repeatedly voted against McCarthy during 10 rounds of balloting over the last three days.

Watch the exchange here.

Republican Rep.-elect Kevin Hern, a House Freedom Caucus member nominated to be House speaker by Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert,
received seven votes from opponents of GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy in the 10th round of balloting on Thursday.

That’s a slight increase from the two votes that Hern received when Boebert originally nominated him in the eight round of voting.

Despite the slight increase in support, the size of the anti-McCarthy group has remained the same in the contest for House speaker.

Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz of Florida on Thursday nominated former President Donald Trump to be the next House speaker, as part of the 11th round of voting for a speaker.

Gaetz said under President Trump, wages rose and no new wars were started, and that Trump would be well-suited to lead the House as a candidate that unifies Republicans.

“And so I nominate President Trump, because we must make our country great again, and he can start by making the House of Representative great again,” Gaetz said.

Earlier in the day, Gaetz voted for Trump for House speaker even though he was not nominated, but Trump has so far received no other votes.

Alternate candidates to Kevin McCarthy in the 11th vote were Trump and Rep.-elect Kevin Hern of Oklahoma. For the first time in several votes, Rep.-elect Byron Donalds of Florida was not nominated.

House Republicans failed to reach a consensus in the 10th floor vote on Thursday, as members awaited the outcome of ongoing negotiations that some said were leading to some progress in the stalemate.

The vote on the floor remained essentially unchanged. At the end of the 10th vote, McCarthy had 200 votes, short of the 218 he needs. He had been collecting 201 votes, but Rep.-elect Ken Buck of Colorado traveled home for a medical appointment and was expected to be out until mid-day Friday or later.

Rep.-elect Byron Donalds of Florida won 13 votes and Rep.-elect Kevin Hern of Oklahoma won 7 votes. That’s an increase for Hern and a decrease for Donalds, but it leaves at 20 the number of Republicans voting for an alternate candidate over the last two days.

Meanwhile, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania told reporters that McCarthy allies and foes are talking about the specifics of committee assignments that could help McCarthy attract GOP holdouts.

Republican congresswoman-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told reporters Thursday afternoon just ahead of the House taking a 10th vote to confirm a House speaker that she is ‘excited about the negotiations and conversations’ taking place to earn Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. enough votes to get him to 218 — the majority required to be speaker.

Greene also said of the 20 lawmakers opposing McCarthy, whom she termed ‘Never Kevin,’ that the battle is “personal.”

“I mean…they have called themselves ‘Never Kevin, that certainly is personal. Just like ‘Never Trump’ is,” Greene stated.

“But I can tell you there’s some good things happening,” she continued.

“I think we’re gonna see some movement because there’s…some shifting going on. Things I’m excited about,” she said.

“The whole, you know, some of these things are reasons why I’m supporting Kevin McCarthy,” Greene continued.

“So pretty soon hopefully we’ll have some good things to come out.”

Greene said it’s “not her place” to discuss specifics of the deal before it’s solidified, but said she’s excited about “the negotiations and conversations are taking place.”

Rep.-elect Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., told reporters Thursday off the House floor that negotiators for McCarthy are working with his GOP opponents to put “meat on the bones” of a deal aimed at winning over those opponents.

“What’s going on right now as we speak is… they’re sort of putting meat on the bones on changes to the rules that’ll bring more people in,” Fitzpatrick said.

On the specifics of the deal, Fitzpatrick said, “It’s with the rules package… it’s the guardrails around the budget process, and then making sure that committee assignments are distributed throughout… the conference.”

McCarthy’s allies are hopeful that agreeing to some of these procedural demands can bring along most of the 20 GOP lawmakers who have been consistently voting against him. However, some Republicans have insisted they will never give McCarthy their support.

The House entered its 10th round of voting on Thursday evening.

Kevin McCarthy failed to reach 218 votes in the ninth vote series in the House on Thursday, and dropped to 200 votes total because a lawmaker had to attend a medical appointment.

Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado is en route to his appointment now, and is out for the rest of the day and most of Friday.

That left McCarthy with 200 votes, short of the majority he needs. As has been the case for the last two days, 20 Republicans voted for other candidates: this time Reps.-elect Byron Donalds (17) and Kevin Hern (3).

The result means a 10th vote will be needed, and lawmakers began right away by nominating members again.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has failed to secure the necessary votes to become the next Speaker of the House despite nine rounds of balloting over three days.

The 21 Republican holdouts who are not voting for McCarthy are Reps.-elect Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Josh Bechreen of Oklahoma, Michael Cloud of Texas, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Eli Crane of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Andy Harris of Maryland, Ana Paulina Luna of Florida, Mary Miller of Illinois, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Chip Roy of Texas, Keith Self of Texas, Byron Donalds of Florida, and Victoria Spartz of Indiana.

Click here
to read more about the Republican holdouts from Fox News Digital.

Texas Republican Rep.-elect Pete Sessions, who supports Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy in the race for House speaker, said on Thursday that treating the House like the Senate in operation is a “dangerous way to go.”

“A lot of money, a million dollars spent against one of the sitting members in a primary. So there are deep-seated viewpoints about why they fought the way they fought,” Sessions told Fox News Digital.

“And secondly, whether it would simply leave our majority without the strength and power that would be necessary to move and be comfortable moving legislation rather than treating this like it would be the Senate where the leaders would have to check with every person every day where their word could change every day.”

In the ninth attempt this week to elect a House speaker, at least five Republicans voted for lawmakers other than Kevin McCarthy, which means no majority can be reached.

The ninth vote ties the number of votes needed in 1923 to decide on a speaker – 2023 will now exceed that, as a 10th vote will be needed at least.

In the latest attempt, anti-McCarthy Republicans nominated both Rep.-elect Byron Donalds of Florida and Rep.-elect Kevin Hern of Oklahoma. Each had collected a handful of votes in early the vote – enough to deny McCarthy a 218 majority.

House Republicans were expected to try to adjourn Thursday after this ninth vote and take up the 10th attempt on Friday.

Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a member of the House Freedom Caucus, nominated Rep.-elect Kevin Hern to speaker.

“The colleagues that I brought with me to offer those 218 votes on the first ballot aren’t there anymore. It is not happening. And as it’s been said, we need to get to a point where we start evaluating what life after Kevin McCarthy looks like,” she said on the floor.

The nomination of Hern, R-Okla., in the ninth round of votes is in addition to other GOP-alternative nominee Rep.-elect Byron Donalds.

Hern has previously stated he backs House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker. He received two votes in the eighth round despite not being officially nominated.

The House is set to take up its ninth vote for speaker for the 118th Congress — a total that will tie the total attempts in 1923, the last time a speaker vote failed. 

The House failed to reach a majority in two speaker votes Thursday, bringing the total failed votes to eight over the past three days. The 1923 speaker election took nine votes over three days to re-elect Speaker Frederick Gillett, R-Mass.

If the House fails in its ninth vote, it will reach the largest total since 1859, when it took 44 votes to elect William Pennington, R-NJ. The speaker election took 11 ballots in 1839, 10 ballots in 1833, and 12 ballots in 1821.

The eighth vote on the House floor to elect a new speaker didn’t do the trick.

Vote-leader Kevin McCarthy again ended up with 201 votes, and 20 Republicans again voted for another Republican member of the House.

The only change of late is that some of these 20 Republican holdouts are redirecting their votes. Two of them voted for Rep.-elect Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, while another, Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz of Florida, voted for former President Donald Trump. The remaining 17 votes went to Rep.-elect Byron Donalds of Florida.

A 21st lawmaker, Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz of Indiana, voted “present” again.

The result means a ninth vote, and possibly others, will be needed before a speaker can be found. That vote could happen later Thursday, or Friday if Republicans seek to adjourn for the day.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., stressed “unity” during a press conference on Thursday, but pivoted when asked about comments from a Democrat in his caucus who called Republican Rep.-elect Byron Donalds a “prop” earlier in the week.

“My view has been let’s continue to organize on our side as we’ve done strength, unity, resilience,” Jeffries told Fox News Digital when asked about the comments on Donalds. “The Republicans have created a mess on their side and the Republicans need to sort it out.”

Rep.-elect Cori Bush, D-Mo., claimed in a tweet on Wednesday that Rep.-elect Donalds is a “prop” who “supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy.”

Republicans opposed to Kevin McCarthy becoming speaker have nominated Rep.-elect Donalds to the position.

House Democratic leadership released a joint statement Thursday that described House Republicans as “unable to organize.”

“House Democrats are united and ready to get to work,” they said. “Unfortunately, House Republicans remain unable to organize themselves in a manner that allows the Congress to move forward and do the business of the American people.” 

The statement was released after the House failed for the seventh time to elect a speaker as Republicans feud over whether House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., deserves the post. Democrats voted unanimously for Rep.-elect Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, each vote.

“Republicans and Democrats have been entrusted to tackle the problems facing the people we are privileged to represent,” they said. “Three days later and Republicans are no closer to undertaking these solemn duties. House Democrats were able to organize and get to work during the longest government shutdown in American history and then again in the wake of the violent insurrection that took place on January 6th, 2021. House Democrats are united and are committed to staying in Washington for as long as it takes to get the Congress organized.”

Rep.-elect Scott Perry, R-Pa., the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, tweeted Thursday a deal with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is not complete.

“A deal is NOT done,” Perry tweeted as the House casted votes in its seventh failed speaker election. “When confidences are betrayed and leaks are directed, it’s even more difficult to trust. Totally unsat. I will not yield to the status quo.”

Perry’s mention of a leak appears to be a reference to Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who claimed McCarthy caved to every demand of the House Freedom Caucus. This, Gaetz said, included committee appointments and a measure that allows just one motion to spark a vote to remove the speaker.

Kevin McCarthy remained stuck at 201 votes for House speaker on Thursday, meeting his expectation that not much would change as GOP lawmakers continue to negotiate behind the scenes.

McCarthy won 201 votes in three votes Wednesday and remained there in the first vote held on Thursday. Twenty Republicans again voted for another GOP lawmaker to deny him the 218 votes he needs – 19 of those went to Rep.-elect Byron Donalds of Florida, and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida voted for former President Donald Trump.

A 21st GOP lawmaker, Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted for McCarthy earlier this week but more recently has been voting “present” to reflect her assessment that Republicans need to confer further before voting.

Democrats continue to give Rep.-elect Hakeem Jeffries of New York their unanimous support for speaker. He has won 212 votes from Democrats in all seven votes.

Kevin McCarthy on Thursday once more found himself on pace to fall short of the 218 votes he needs to become the next House speaker.

As the seventh vote on the House floor continued, five Republicans had voted for an alternate candidate, Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and more were expected. McCarthy can only afford to lose four votes as Republicans hold a narrow 222-212 majority.

McCarthy predicted before the third day of voting began that Thursday’s votes would be “pretty much” the same as they’ve been so far. “Nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to. I wouldn’t read anything into the votes today,” he said.

McCarthy was nominated by freshman Rep.-elect John James of Michigan, who said the issues that divide Republicans today are not as significant as those that divided lawmakers the last time a speaker vote went this long, in 1856.

“The leading Republican nominee won then, and the leading Republican nominee will win again today,” he said. James said Republicans will work to reduce the size of government, push for U.S. energy independence and secure the border, but said that can’t happen until a speaker is chosen. 

En route to the House floor House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was asked what his plan is ahead of the seventh vote for speaker.

McCarthy responded: “We’re just gonna keep working til we solve it.”

When asked if he has the votes, McCarthy stated, “Look, look you’re going to go in here, we’re gonna have votes, nothing is going to change. What we’re doing is we’re having really good progress in conversations…”

Fox News’ Brianna McClelland contributed to this report.

Rep.-elect Bob Good, R-Va., says he will “never vote for Kevin McCarthy.”

Congressman-elect Good, one of the 20 defectors against the bid by Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to be the next speaker of the House
. was seen leaving a meeting with House Freedom Caucus members and the conservative think tank, Conservative Partnership Institute, Thursday morning in Washington, D.C.

On his way out, Good told reporters, “You never have to as me again if I’m a ‘no.’ I will never vote for Kevin McCarthy.”

The House is entering its third day without having named a speaker, and after six rounds of votes. The House is set to reconvene Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy just entered a closed meeting with what appears to be supporters of his in the Capitol. Rep.-elect Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and other other rank-and-file Republicans were also spotted heading into the meeting.

Upon his arrival to the meeting McCarthy was asked if he expects the vote tally to be the same today. He said “yeah pretty much…”

McCarthy added: “Nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to. I wouldn’t read anything into the votes today.”

Fox News’ Kelly Phares contributed to this report.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., appears to be making progress in negotiations over the speakership with his critics in the House Freedom Caucus, but Thursday’s meeting of Congress will be a key test in his race for House speaker.

Lawmakers will go back in session at noon ET on Thursday, the third day of a deadlock over McCarthy’s bid. The California Republican has received 201 votes in the most recent ballots, well shy of the 218 he needs and fewer than the 212 votes Rep.-elect Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, has received from his party.

The House Freedom Caucus on Wednesday settled on nominating Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who received 20 votes in yesterday’s ballots.

A GOP aide told Fox News McCarthy made progress with some of his critics Wednesday night as he agreed to adding more House Freedom Caucus members to top committees, including the steering committee. The aide added McCarthy may also agree to require only one member to call for a vote to remove the speaker, which he previously set at five.

Rep.-elect Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., an ally to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, said Thursday it would be unproductive to conduct a vote for speaker again without more progress on negotiations.

“I don’t know why we would even vote,” Fitzpatrick said. “I don’t control what votes are called. I’m just saying I don’t think it would be productive.”

There were six failed votes for speaker between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

Fox News Digital captured video of Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., walking out of a House Freedom Caucus meeting Thursday morning.

Boebert stressed McCarthy still “doesn’t have 218,” the number of votes necessary to become speaker.

“It doesn’t really matter what my vote is at this point because he doesn’t have 218. There are too many people who are committed to never voting for him,” she said.

“As a mom of four boys and a previous restaurant owner, chaos and dysfunction have been a part of my life for a long time. But this Constitutional Republic at work is a really really beautiful thing,” Boebert also said.

Rep.-elect Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., a top ally to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, said Thursday “we’re slowly making progress” on a deal with the House Freedom Caucus.

“I think things are moving in the right direction,” Johnson said as he exited McCarthy’s office Thursday morning. “And listen, nothing’s gonna come together quickly. But I think we’re slowly making progress.”

Johnson added there is mutual interest to get a deal done.

“I think on both sides, on all sides, you’ve got people who want to get to yes,” Johnson said. “So clearly, you’re going to have some additional concessions on both sides to be able to get together.”

The House is set to convene at noon Thursday.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

GOP opponents of Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid indicated Thursday morning they still aren’t ready to support him, even after McCarthy hinted at new concessions late Wednesday aimed at winning them over.

After six votes on Tuesday and Wednesday that fell short of giving him 218 votes for speaker, McCarthy floated the possibility of a rules change that would allow a single lawmaker – not five – to make a motion to vacate the chair and elect a new speaker. He also proposed putting more members of the House Freedom Caucus on key committees and votes on term limits and border security.

But hours after those concessions were floated, at least five hardline GOP lawmakers indicated it still wasn’t enough, and made it clear they would continue to oppose him. The House convenes at noon Thursday, and while a new vote may show McCarthy has made some progress with the 20 GOP holdouts, he can only afford to lose four votes.

“Make no mistake: I’ll continue do what’s right, not what’s easy — and I’ll stay on target until the job is done and the status quo is defeated,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania tweeted on Thursday.

Read more at Fox News Digital: McCarthy struggles to win over hardliners in speaker race despite new concessions

Incoming House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries pivoted from having to address a fellow Democrat’s inflammatory remarks about GOP Rep.-elect Byron Donalds.

“FWIW, @ByronDonalds is not a historic candidate for Speaker. He is a prop,” Bush, D-Mo., tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy.”

When asked by Fox News Digital during the Democratic leadership’s weekly press conference Thursday about whether he agreed with Rep.-elect Cori Bush’s statement, Jeffries didn’t directly answer.

“My view has been let’s continue to organize on our side as we’ve done strength, unity, resilience,” Jeffries told Fox News Digital’s Brianna Herlihy.

“The Republicans have created a mess on their side and the Republicans need to sort it out.”

The House Democratic leadership team is holding its weekly press conference as the chamber enters the third day of the 118th Congress without an elected speaker.

Incoming House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has said the Democrats remain united amid Republican Party infighting.

Late Wednesday night after the House decided to adjourn for the day, outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, R-Calif., called out Republicans for their “cavalier attitude” in electing a new speaker, tweeting “all who serve in the House share a responsibility to bring dignity to this body.”

“Sadly, Republicans’ cavalier attitude in electing a Speaker is frivolous, disrespectful and unworthy of this institution,” she wrote.

The House of Representatives failed to elect a speaker for the first time since 1923 — as nearly two dozen Republicans refused to support Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California for the job.

Here are the winners and losers so far from the ongoing debate over the speakership.

Winners:

House Democrats embraced the GOP divide Tuesday and Wednesday as leadership advised its members to remain present at all votes to ensure the majority threshold remains a challenge to McCarthy and his allies.

Opponents from within the conservative Freedom Caucus to McCarthy’s bid for speakership are outnumbered 10 to 1 within the Republican Party, but they have been able to spike attempts to move forward due to the narrow Republican majority in the chamber.

Rep. Byron Donalds took office in 2020 and had high hopes for the newly elected 117th Congress when he ran for conference chair, but he lost to Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is a key McCarthy ally. The tumult in the House has given him a moment to revel in the spotlight anyway. He flipped his vote to oppose McCarthy in the third failed attempt Tuesday, drawing wide attention. The congressman then went on Fox News and CNN Wednesday morning to describe his logic.

Losers:

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., used the GOP divide to poke fun at McCarthy, of whom he has been a vocal critic. Gaetz wrote a letter to the Architect of the Capitol agency to investigate why McCarthy was using the House speaker’s office when he has yet to win the position.

Journalists in the nation’s capital had the pleasure of covering a circus of events. They were at it early, up late, inundated with endless inches of easy copy. And they got to write a true first draft of history — or at least get the first crack at a footnote that will be cited every time future speaker seekers have a problem getting the gavel.

McCarthy first ran for speaker in 2015 but later dropped out in a decision that he said was because “there just wasn’t a path to 218.”

Harmeet Dhillon, a civil rights attorney and national committeewoman for the RNC, says RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel should “move on” after Republicans suffered such a disappointing result in the midterms.

Dhillon is challenging McDaniel for her spot as RNC chair. McDaniel would become the one of the longest serving RNC chairs in over 100 years if she were elected to a fourth term.

“I think we really need to focus on our party where we’re all working in the party together. This is not personal. I have no personal issue with Ronna,” Dhillon tells Fox Digital.

“We don’t have the White House now, we don’t have the presidency. So, you know, we are effectively the leaders of the party,” said Dhillon. “If we’re not clearly articulating what our message is, why voters should vote for us, then we are losing. And in fact, we are always playing catch up with the Democrats.”

While McDaniel has sought to claim success in broadening the party’s appeal to minority voters, Dhillon says the RNC chairwoman must bare responsibility for Republicans’ failure to win the Senate and have an even larger House Majority. 

“Life is unfair in many ways. However, when you have successive losses, be it and a sports team or being in a corporation or being as a leader of the party too, people typically move on.”

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, blasted his colleagues for locking the House of Representatives in a stalemate over Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speaker Wednesday night.

“I’m tired of your stupid platitudes that some consultant told you to say on the campaign trail, alright,” Crenshaw said of the 20 Republican defectors, according to the Washington Post’s Dylan Wells. “Behind closed doors tell us what you actually want, or shut the f— up.”

Crenshaw’s comments came the night before Republicans entered their third day of deadlock Thursday. McCarthy has failed to gain the 218 votes required to be speaker in six separate roll calls since Tuesday.

Crenshaw said the holdouts, “need to be men and adults and say what they want, instead of playing these little games, that’s what we’re asking.”

“That’s what I’ve asked of them. Some of them are my friends. Stop saying platitudes like, ‘Washington is broken. We can’t do the status quo,” he said. “They want to pull the pins on the grenades and lock the doors.” 

Outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi weighed in on the drama surrounding the election of her potential successor, Rep-elect. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after the sixth speakership vote failed on Wednesday.

Late Wednesday night after the House decided to adjourn for the day, Pelosi called out Republicans for their “cavalier attitude” in electing a new Speaker, tweeting “all who serve in the House share a responsibility to bring dignity to this body.”

“Sadly, Republicans’ cavalier attitude in electing a Speaker is frivolous, disrespectful and unworthy of this institution,” she wrote.

After six votes in two days, House Republicans still do not have a consensus candidate for speaker, and 20 GOP holdouts remain opposed to Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for the job. One of the group, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, went so far as to say he would resign from Congress if they are unsuccessful in their effort to bring about institutional change in the House – which they do not trust McCarthy to deliver. 

“We’re going to either see improvement up here the same way we made remarkable improvements in North Carolina in the state legislature, or I’m out,” Bishop told Roll Call in an interview published early Thursday morning. He said that over McCarthy’s 14-year tenure in Republican leadership, the would-be speaker has said the same things over and over again about threats facing the country and “every one of them has gotten worse, not better.” 

As someone who is “older than the average bear” and “not going to stay up here for decades,” Bishop told Roll Call he has no qualms about adopting a “never Kevin” position in the ongoing leadership fight.

A group of Republican military veterans urged their colleagues to end the stalemate in the House and elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaker Wednesday evening.

McCarthy failed to garner the 218 necessary votes to become speaker in six ballots between Tuesday and Wednesday. About 20 members of the House Freedom Caucus have so far refused to support the GOP leader. Until Republicans agree on a speaker, they cannot pass a rules package to determine how the House will operate, consider legislation, or begin the oversight of the Biden administration that candidates promised on the campaign trail. 

“The people standing behind me have regularly, consistently, over decades proven that they’re willing to put something greater than themselves above themselves,” Rep.-elect Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., said at the briefing, noting that the group collectively has 291 years of military service between them.

“A minority of our party has decided that they want to continue with this obstructionism and it’s actually becoming detrimental to our nation,” Van Orden added. “I will not stand for that.”

Rep.-elect Byron Donalds has responded to criticism
from fellow Rep.-elect Cori Bush, who said his “being Black” makes him a “prop” in the House speaker race.

Taking to Twitter, Donalds, R-Fla., responded to Bush, D-Missouri, by simply saying: “Nobody asked.” He also encouraged her to challenge his “policies and the outcomes” rather than the color of his skin.

“Don’t be a crab in a barrel” he added.

“FWIW, @ByronDonalds is not a historic candidate for Speaker. He is a prop. Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy,” Bush tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., offered more concessions to members of the House Freedom Caucus opposing his bid for speaker late Wedesday.

McCarthy has discussed granting the HFC more positions on the House Rules Committee as well as lowering the threshold for forcing a vote to remove the speaker to just one majority-party lawmaker.

McCarthy has failed to secure the 218 votes required to become speaker in six separate roll calls since Tuesday. Nineteen Republicans opposed him in the first two votes, but now his opposition has grown to 21.

GOP members will be meeting throughout Thursday morning, and the seventh vote won’t be made until noon ET.

Billionaire Twitter CEO Elon Musk weighed into the Republican battle in the House of Representatives on Thursday, throwing his support behind Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s, R-Calif., bid to be speaker.

McCarthy has failed to gain the required 218 votes to win the speakership in six straight roll calls since Tuesday. Nineteen opposed him in the first round of voting, but the coalition has since grown to 21 as lawmakers tire of the deadlock.

“Kevin McCarthy should be Speaker,” Musk tweeted early Thursday morning.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., was the first to defect away from McCarthy, switching his vote during the third round of voting on Tuesday. Now, there has been a growing movement to select him as speaker.

“The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes. I committed my support to him publicly and for two votes on the House Floor. 218 is the number, and currently, no one is there,” Donalds tweeted Tuesday. “Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps but these continuous votes aren’t working for anyone.”

Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy’s political machine spent millions supporting GOP candidates who won their elections and arrived on Capitol Hill only to oppose his bid for speaker.

McCarthy has failed to surpass the 218-vote threshold in four separate role calls this week. Twenty Republican lawmakers are responsible for the stalemate, and most of them received cash from one of McCarthy’s PACs during the midterm campaign, Politico reported.

McCarthy’s Congressional Leadership Funding threw in a total of $120,000 toward the campaigns of Reps. Dan Bishop, R-N.C.,: Michael Cloud R-Texas,: Andrew Clyde, R-Ga,; Byron Donalds, R-Fla.,; Bob Good, R-Va.; Andy Harris, R-Md.; Ralph Norman, R-S.C.; Scott Perry R-Pa.; and Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.; along with incoming freshmen Anna Paulina Luna R-Fla.; Josh Brecheen, R-Okla.; Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.; Eli Crane R-Ariz., and Keith Self, R-Texas.

The CFL also reportedly spent $900,000 on campaign ads supporting Crane in Arizona.

Republicans are still deciding who will be the House speaker for the 118th session of Congress, but as Rep-elect. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., says he is getting closer to the gavel some members are starting to wonder about potential retribution for voting against him.

One member who is not worried is Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who has received votes for the speakership and has held out against McCarthy in four of the six votes. 

“I’m 6’2″ 275 [pounds], I am not worried about that,” Donalds said outside the Capitol when asked by NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Ryan Nobles if he was worried about potential retribution.

Donalds initially backed McCarthy’s speakership but after the California Republican failed to reach the 218-vote threshold in two votes on Tuesday, the Florida lawmaker shifted gears. 

“The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes,” Donalds tweeted after changing his vote against McCarthy during the third speakership vote Tuesday — a decision that drew some audible gasps as well as applause from the chamber.

He added: “I committed my support to him publicly and for two votes on the House Floor. 218 is the number, and currently, no one is there. Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps.”

House Republicans successfully but narrowly voted Wednesday night to adjourn until Thursday, after a break of several hours and indications that some progress might have been achieved in talks between Kevin McCarthy’s supporters and 20 GOP opponents.

After a frenzied round of voting and clamoring by members, they voted 216-214 to adjourn.

Every Democrat voted against adjourning and they were joined by four Republicans: Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Elijah Crane of Arizona and Matt Gaetz of Florida. But every other Republican voted to call it a day, and the House will return Thursday at noon to try again.

Just before the vote, McCarthy said some progress was made in negotiations with his opponents, and said it would be more productive to keep talking rather than hold more votes.

“I crawl before I walk, I walk before I run,” McCarthy said after the House adjourned. “I felt as though we had a very good discussion.”

McCarthy failed to get the 218 votes needed to win the speaker’s gavel three times on Wednesday, and three times on Tuesday. He topped out at 203 votes on Tuesday, and on Wednesday mustered 201.

Tyler Olson contributed to this report

Kevin McCarty said late Wednesday that “progress” was being made to find a consensus GOP House speaker and said his preference would be to keep working rather than hold more votes Wednesday night.

“You know, I think it’s probably best that people work through some more I think,” he said. “I don’t think voting tonight does any difference but I think vote in the future will.”

McCarthy added there was “no deal yet, but a lot of progress,” and said voting tonight would not be “productive.”

The House was set to reconvene at 8 p.m., but possibly because of this progress, Republicans were expected to quickly vote to adjourn for the night.

Supporters and opponents met in several offices during the break, and while there was talk about progress, there were few clear signs of a deal that would allow McCarthy or anyone else to win election.

In one possible sign of a breakthrough, however, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Super PAC aligned with McCarthy, announced an agreement with the Club for Growth under which CLF said it would no longer specific candidates in open-seat races in GOP-friendly districts. The Club for Growth said CLF’s preference for some candidates over others was a “major concern” of theirs, and added that the group can now support McCarthy as long as the House rules package he’s working on “meet the principles we have set out previously.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if this agreement by itself would be enough to sway any of the 20 GOP holdouts.

Friends and foes of Kevin McCarthy were meeting behind closed doors Wednesday night after the House adjourned and members planned to return by 8 p.m.

Rep.-elect Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., who has been floated as a possible candidate if McCarthy were to drop out, said there were “multiple meetings happening right now” in an effort to unify the GOP, which  has been unable to agree on a speaker for the last two days.

“We’ll have ongoing negotiations with them through the evening, maybe for the future coming days,”  McHenry said. “Because if not, the reality is we’re… stopping Republican House from organizing to have oversight of a Democrat Washington.”

Majority Whip-elect Tom Emmer, R-Minn., was hosting a meeting with supporters and opponents of McCarthy. Two opponents of McCarthy, Reps.-elect Matt Gaetz of Florida and Ralph Norman of South Carolina, entered the meeting, and two supporters of McCarthy were seen leaving: Reps.-elect Jason Smith of Missouri and Dusty Johnson of South Dakota.

But none offered any indication of whether a breakthrough was possible or imminent. On the way into the meeting Gaetz said he wanted McCarthy to drop out.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

Nearly 50 conservative heavyweights co-signed a statement on Wednesday, calling for a change in House GOP leadership in Washington, while applauding the 20 members of Congress who voted against Kevin McCarthy, the current House Minority leader.

McCarthy failed to collect the 218 votes needed to clinch the speaker of the House spot after a sixth round of votes on Wednesday.

Among those calling for McCarthy, R-Calif. To bow out of the speakership race are former Reagan administration Attorney General Ed Meese, Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and David McIntosh, president of Club for Growth.

The signed statement offered support to the “20 courageous members of Congress,” who voted against McCarthy.

“These members represents the millions of voters across the country who are disgusted with the business-as-usual, self-interested governance in Washington,” the group stated.

The House adjourned Wednesday after it failed for a sixth time to elect a speaker — continuing a feud between House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and 20 opponents within his own party.

The decision to adjourn until 8:00 p.m. ET Wednesday followed unsuccessful negotiation efforts from McCarthy to secure a majority of votes needed to win the speaker’s gavel. The fourth, fifth and sixth failed ballots Wednesday came hours after former President Donald Trump broke his silence on the speakership debate as he reiterated his endorsement of McCarthy.

The House failed on three votes for speaker Tuesday, then adjourned. The first two votes Tuesday included 19 votes for candidates besides McCarthy, which became 20 after Rep.-elect Bryon Donalds flipped to the anti-McCarthy side in the third vote.

McCarthy’s opponents then nominated Donalds, R-Fla., for speaker Wednesday, who received the same 20 votes in the fourth ballot — successfully delaying McCarthy’s bid for speaker again. Donalds was again nominated as a candidate on the fifth and sixths ballots and received the same 20 votes.

Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., who previously voted for McCarthy, voted “present” in the fourth, fifth and sixth series.

The sixth round of voting for House speaker ended just like the last two rounds – with no one able to reach 218, and uncertainty about who can do it and when it might happen.

McCarthy remained stuck at 201 votes, 17 shy of the majority he needs. Republicans put up Rep.-elect Byron Donalds of Florida as an alternative, but he has been stuck at 20 votes for the last three rounds.

Members-elect of the 118th Congress were expected to vote to adjourn the body after the sixth vote to allow GOP lawmakers to meet and try again to reach some agreement on a consensus candidate.

Rep.-elect Ami Bera, D-Calif. said he would support uniting behind a moderate candidate – or a ‘unity candidate’—to expedite the election process after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the House speaker spot in a fifth round of votes on Wednesday.

In the fifth round, McCarthy failed to obtain the 218 needed votes to become the speaker of the House, this time splitting the vote between Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, and Byron Donalds, Florida Republican.

“The Republicans need to fast forward this process to pick a candidate so we can get on with doing the people’s business,” Bera said. “I would support a unity candidate if that’s what it takes, because we need a Speaker of the House.”

Rep.-elect Cori Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, called Republican Rep.-elect Byron Donalds of Florida “a prop” on Wednesday after the House Freedom Caucus nominated him to be Speaker of the House.

“Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy,” Bush tweeted. “His name being in the mix is not progress—it’s pathetic.”

Donalds received 20 votes in the fourth round of voting
on Wednesday, ensuring that Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy did not garner enough votes for his bid.

Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. called on former President Trump to pressure Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to withdraw his name from consideration to be the next House Speaker, and instead nominated Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla in the fifth round of voting.

Now into the second day of voting for a new leader, McCarthy is no closer to becoming the House speaker as conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus refuse to budge on their demands for new House rules and new leadership.

In her nominating speech for Donalds, Boebert addressed Trump, speaking out against efforts by established Republicans and McCarthy supporters to break the logjam.

“Let’s work together. Let’s stop with the campaign smears and tactics to get people to turn against, even having my favorite president call us and tell us we need to knock this off,” she  said on the House floor.

For Kevin McCarthy, the sixth time does not appear to be the charm.

McCarthy was on track to once again
to fall short of the 218 votes he needs to become the next House speaker. He can only lose four GOP votes, and as the sixth round of voting continued, he had already lost five votes.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the House would try for a fourth vote on Wednesday, or look to adjourn and regroup on Thursday.

The House of Representatives started its sixth vote in an attempt to elect a new speaker.

Rep.-elect Kat Cammack, R-Fla., nominated House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. She was booed by Democrats during her speech after she made a comment about Democrats drinking alcohol and eating popcorn during the speaker votes. 

The Democrats once again put forward incoming Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

House Freedom Caucus member Rep.-elect Scott Perry put forward Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., as an alternative GOP candidate.

To become speaker, a candidate requires 218 votes. It remains unclear if McCarthy has the votes to clinch the top leadership position.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy came up short in his fifth attempt to win the 218 votes needed to become the next House speaker, raising questions about whether any of the GOP holdouts will ever be convinced to support him.

The fifth round of voting on the House floor led to a familiar result. McCarthy took 201 votes, 20 others voted for Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and one Republican, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, voted “present” to reflect her call for more negotiations within the GOP before another vote is held.

McCarthy remains stuck at that level even after former President Trump called on Republicans to back him.

The result means a sixth vote is needed, amid growing pressure on McCarthy to stand aside and perhaps allow House GOP Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., to run on his own and see if he can collect 218 votes.

Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., voted “present” on Wednesday during the fourth attempt to agree on a House speaker, saying that Republicans need to deliberate further and “stop wasting everyone’s time.”

“We have a constitutional duty to elect the Speaker of the House, but we have to deliberate further as a Republican conference until we have enough votes and stop wasting everyone’s time,” Spartz said in a statement Wednesday.

“None of the Republican candidates have this number yet. That’s why I voted present after all votes were cast.”

House GOP lawmakers for the fifth time appeared likely to come up short of the 218 votes they need to elect a new House speaker.

Republicans control 222 votes in the House and can only lose four of those votes if one of their candidates is going to win the minimum 218 votes needed to secure a majority and win the speaker’s gavel.

As the fifth round of voting continued Wednesday afternoon, McCarthy had already lost five votes to Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla. Donalds was nominated in the fourth round of voting as well, and took 20 votes from McCarthy.

In this latest round, Donalds was nominated by Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who called on McCarthy to bow out of the race and allow new leadership to step up in the House, and rejected former President Trump’s effort to convince Republicans to support McCarthy.

“Even having my favorite president call us and tell us we need to knock this off, I think it actually needs to be reversed,” Boebert said. “The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that sir, you do not have the votes and it’s time to withdraw.”

The House of Representatives started its fifth vote series to elect a speaker.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy failed to clinch the majority of votes during the first four voting rounds. He needs 218 votes in order to become speaker.

Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., was nominated by Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., as an alternative Republican candidate ahead of the vote starting.

Democrats have remained unified behind incoming House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries throughout the first rounds of votes.

A lone Republican member of the House voted “present” on Wednesday in the fourth attempt to agree on a House speaker, the first such vote in the two days the GOP has been trying to find a consensus candidate.

Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz of Indiana was the only member to vote “present,” a move that changes the dynamic of the vote. Members who don’t vote or who vote “present” reduce the minimum number of votes needed to secure a majority of the House. Spartz said she voted that way because it’s clear the GOP is undecided on who to elect speaker.

“We have a constitutional duty to elect the Speaker of the House, but we have to deliberate further as a Republican conference until we have enough votes and stop wasting everyone’s time,” she said. “None of the Republican candidates have this number yet.”

Spartz cast her vote after talking to Rep.-elect Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a top aide to Kevin McCarthy, who has been trying to secure 218 votes to win the speaker’s gavel.

McHenry is one of the lawmakers who has been talked about as a possible alternative candidate to McCarthy who might be able to win 218 votes.

The final vote in the fourth round was 201 votes for McCarthy, 212 for Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, 20 for Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Spartz’s lone “present” vote.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy again failed to secure
the necessary 218 votes to be the next House speaker in a fourth round of voting Wednesday, which means at least another vote will be needed.

McCarthy came up short even after former President Donald Trump called on House Republicans to back McCarthy and get going with the work of the 118th Congress.

The House Freedom Caucus nominated Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., for House speaker during Wednesday’s votes. Donalds picked up 20 votes, just as Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio did in the last of three votes a day earlier.

McCarthy can only lose 4 GOP votes and win the minimum 218 needed to be elected House speaker. The vote result Wednesday was a sign that McCarthy has not yet made any significant progress convincing the group of hardline Republicans to support him, and also signaled that these members appear to prefer anyone over McCarthy.

“Now, here we are. And for the first time in history, there have been two black Americans placed into the nomination for speaker of the House,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who nominated Donalds.

The House Freedom Caucus nominated Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., for House speaker during Wednesday’s votes.

“Now, here we are. And for the first time in history, there have been two black Americans placed into the nomination for speaker of the House,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.

Republicans erupted into cheers and rose for a standing ovation after Roy’s remarks. Some Democrats also joined in the standing ovation.

Incoming House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was nominated by the Democrats to the speaker position.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has entered the House floor Wednesday ahead of an expected fourth vote for speaker.

McCarthy was officially nominated by Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.

Gallagher drew a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle when he said the members were lucky to be living in the greatest country in the world. One member shouted, “Gallagher for speaker.” 

After the House gaveled in, lawmakers were told they could expect a vote on a Republican motion to adjourn, which would have stalled the fourth vote on the election of the speaker. However, the GOP motion to adjourn was not immediately offered as the votes may not have been there and McCarthy allies balked. 

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

The House of Representatives gaveled into session at 12 p.m. ET Wednesday, as lawmakers continue negotiations over electing a speaker.

After the House gavels in, lawmakers could vote on a Republican motion to adjourn, which would stall the fourth vote on the election of the speaker. Democratic Whip Rep.-elect Katherine Clark, D-Mass., sent a memo to members telling them to vote against a GOP motion to adjourn if it is offered.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., needs 218 votes to become speaker. Republicans have a slim majority of 222 lawmakers, so McCarthy can leave only four GOP minds unchanged.

The House abruptly adjourned shortly before 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday after three failed attempts to elect a speaker.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy told reporters “I think we can do it,” as he arrived Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol.

The House is expected to convene at noon ET to vote again on the speaker of the House.

“Same game as it was yesterday – it’s to win,” McCarthy said.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, blamed the ongoing stalemate in the House Speaker race on Republican’s poor performance in the midterm elections and GOP lawmakers refusal to “follow orders” like Democrats.

Cruz made the comments during a discussion on his podcast “The Verdict” on Wednesday, but he avoided weighing in on whether he supported Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s, R-Calif., bid for speaker.

“A big part of the reason this is playing out is because the election was disappointing,” Cruz said. “The election — we did a lot less — Republicans did a lot less in the election than we should have. We should have a majority in the Senate. We should have a big majority in the House.”

“If we’d come out of the election and it was a 30-35 vote majority in the House, I doubt this fight would be playing out. At that level, I think Kevin McCarthy would have had, pretty easily, the votes to be elected speaker. And if you win a big victory, that is typically the result,” he said.

Cruz went on to say that although Democrats had a similar slim majority under former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, they would still “follow orders” for the party leadership.

“The Democrats are command-and-control. The Democrats are authoritarian, the Democrats follow orders. It’s a strength of theirs, and it’s a weakness of theirs,” he said.

Former President Donald Trump warned Republican lawmakers opposing Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s, R-Calif., bid for House Speaker that they are playing a “dangerous game” on Wednesday.

Trump made the comments exclusively to Fox News Digital, urging the faction of House Republicans blocking McCarthy for speaker to stop the “game.”

“Let’s get this thing over with,” Trump told Fox. “The problem is, there is a big downside to this game that is being played.”

“I think it is a dangerous game, and, frankly, if they are not happy with him, they can do something about it at a later date,” Trump said, again stressing that it is a “dangerous game.”

He added: “I support [McCarthy] and I support getting the deal done. What I don’t support is allowing this to continue onward.” 

There is a significant possibility a motion could be made on the floor of the House shortly after it gavels in today to adjourn for the day, forestalling any votes for speaker, Fox News has been told by several GOP aides.

This comes as it does not appear House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has made significant progress in his effort to secure the votes needed to win the speaker’s gavel.

It is not totally clear that such a motion would pass, however. If all McCarthy supporters vote for the motion, they would need at least some help from Democrats or some of the anti-McCarthy forces to pass the motion.  

Rep-Elect Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., the House Democrats’ conference chair, did not say whether Democrats would oppose the motion when asked at a press conference this morning. And a spokesman for House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep-Elect Scott Perry, R-Pa., told Fox News, “we won’t back down.” 

If McCarthy allies are trying to adjourn, that means they didn’t make enough progress to wrangle the votes or improve McCarthy’s status. It also means that the endorsement by former President Trump didn’t move the meter. 

Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar on Wednesday called out Republicans for the “chaos and confusion” seen so far this week as they work to find a consensus House speaker candidate.

“For the first time in one hundred years, there was not an agreement for speaker of the House on the first ballot. Multiple ballots, and almost twenty-four hours later, there’s still no clear sign of a speaker,” Aguilar said. “We want to work with reasonable Republicans and continue our record of bipartisan legislative achievements in this Congress, but we need willing partners… and right now those willing partners are in short supply.”

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif, added the House Republicans are in a state of “chaos, confusion and crisis.”

“We essentially don’t have a House of Representatives. This can’t keep on going. You can’t have one branch of federal government simply not function,” Lieu said.

Republican senators are calling on their fellow party members in the House to move forward with selecting a new House Speaker following Tuesday’s three inconclusive votes.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has failed to secure the necessary 218 votes to win the speakership. The House is set to convene at 12 p.m. ET Wednesday to begin voting again.

Republicans have 222 lawmakers in their slim majority, so McCarthy, R-Calif., can leave only four GOP minds unchanged.”Right now the House is having a family fight.

They need to resolve the issues ASAP, so we can get to work stopping Joe Biden’s inflationary policies,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital.

Support for McCarthy is uncertain as some factions of the Republican Party continue to oppose his nomination. His most vocal opponents on Wednesday morning gave no indication they were any closer to accepting him as speaker.

“I hope whoever House Republicans elect speaker will be fully committed to conservative principles and restoring function and fiscal sanity to the federal government,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on his podcast “Verdict with Ted Cruz” Wednesday that the speaker fight is happening because GOP failed in midterms, and because Democrats “follow orders.”

President Biden broke his silence on the Republican stalemate over choosing the next Speaker of the House on Wednesday, urging Republicans to “get their act together.”

Biden made the comments while speaking to reporters outside the White House before boarding Marine One.

“With regard to the fight over the speaker — that’s not my problem,” Biden said. “I just think that it is embarrassing the way it has taken so long and the way they are treating one another. And the rest of the world looking, looking at, you know, can we get our act together and what I focus on getting things done.”

“This is not a good look” on the world stage, he said later. “It’s not a good thing. It’s the United States of America. And I hope they get their act together.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., rebuked former President Donald Trump’s call for Republicans to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy to become speaker of the House on Wednesday.

Gaetz is one of McCarthy’s most prominent critics for his race to become speaker. He and 18 other Republicans blocked McCarthy from securing the 218 votes required to win the role in three role calls Tuesday. Gaetz remained unswayed by Trump’s endorsement despite the pair being longtime allies.

“Sad!” Gaetz told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday statement. “This changes neither my view of McCarthy nor Trump nor my vote.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, floated the idea of running a “coalition government” on Wednesday after Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., failed three times to secure enough votes to become speaker.

Ocasio-Cortez, a far-left progressive, raised the possibility that Republican leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., may have to enter into negotiations with Democrats after he failed to win the majority vote needed to become speaker.

“I do not believe that Kevin McCarthy has the votes. I believe that a lot of the opposition to him is very personal. I believe his leadership style is incompatible with a lot of Republican members and certainly the Democratic Caucus.” Ocasio-Cortez said on MSNBC Tuesday night.

“So the question is, is there anyone in their caucus that can build that consensus? If there isn’t, McCarthy’s team may have to come to the Democratic Party? And, if that’s the case, then what would that even look like. It’s rather unprecedented? Could it result in a potential coalition government?” she posited.

Former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to end the stalemate and vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to become Speaker on Wednesday.

Trump weighed in on the issue after McCarthy lost three straight votes on Tuesday, failing to pass the 218-vote threshold. Twenty Republicans opposed his speakership when the House adjourned Tuesday, and Republicans will resume voting later Wednesday.

“Some really good conversations took place last night, and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House Members to VOTE FOR KEVIN,” Trump posted on Truth Social.  “CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY, & WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME TO A VERY BROKEN CALIFORNIA,THE ONLY SPEAKER IN U.S. HISTORY TO HAVE LOST THE ‘HOUSE’ TWICE! REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT. IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE, YOU DESERVE IT,” the 2024 presidential candidate continued.

“Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB – JUST WATCH!” Trump predicted.

Kevin McCarthy’s most vocal opponents on Wednesday morning gave no indication they were any closer to accepting him as House speaker, just hours before the House was set to reconvene and a day after three failed votes.

Rep.-elect Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who challenged McCarthy on the floor Tuesday, accused McCarthy on Wednesday of “squatting in the Speaker’s office.” He retweeted a letter from another McCarthy foe, Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who asked the Architect of the Capitol to look into why McCarthy was using the House speaker’s office when he hadn’t won the post yet.

House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., tweeted Wednesday that McCarthy is “falsely” telling the press he made concessions to GOP hardliners, but said none of those concessions would have stopped passage of the giant, $1.7 trillion spending bill approved late last year. “We’ll continue to seek a candidate who’ll put an end to this horrible practice,” Perry wrote.

The House was scheduled to resume the work of voting for a speaker, but it was unclear if more votes would take place immediately, or whether lawmakers would seek more time off the floor to negotiate. Republicans were expected to meet at 9:30 am to find some way forward.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, says leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., “burned himself” by attacking his Republican critics during Tuesday’s three failed votes to elect him speaker.

McCarthy argued that those opposing him were seeking to pad their resumes with better committee assignments and more public and powerful roles in the House of Representatives. Roy, one of McCarthy’s top critics, argued he simply wants to stop the Republican establishment from making all the decisions.

McCarthy failed to secure 218 votes in three separate roll calls Tuesday. Nineteen Republicans voted against him in the first two votes, favoring Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and 20 voted against him in the third vote.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., flipped his vote away from McCarthy on the third vote after concluding that there was not path forward for McCarthy to become speaker.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., defended his decision to flip his vote for House Speaker away from Kevin McCarthy in the third round of voting on Tuesday.

Donalds defended the move during a Wednesday morning appearance on Fox & Friends, saying he simply wants to see a resolution to the process and now believes McCarthy lacks the votes to become speaker.

Donalds voted in favor of McCarthy becoming speaker for the first two rounds of voting, as 19 Republicans broke away to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. In the third vote, Donalds joined them, and the chamber abruptly adjourned for an overnight recess.

The House GOP caucus will meet early Wednesday morning to strategize before returning to Capitol Hill at noon to resume voting.

House Republicans will return to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for the second day of the new Congress as the party remains deadlocked over who to select for House Speaker.

The conference went through three rounds of voting Tuesday,
but leader Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the 218 votes required, with his opponents throwing in ballots for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and others.

The House abruptly adjourned Tuesday following a third failed vote for McCarthy. Lawmakers will return to the chamber at noon on Wednesday after the overnight recess.

The path forward for McCarthy is unclear. The embattled Republican has already made several concessions to the right wing of his party that is refusing to play along. Nevertheless, he fell nearly 20 votes short in Tuesday’s roll calls.

The House GOP caucus is scheduled to meet Wednesday morning to strategize as McCarthy continues to push forward for now.

After a series of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives resulted in Rep. Kevin McCarthy failing to get enough votes to become the next House Speaker, one member is asking why he is still allowed to operate out of the Speaker’s Office.

Following three votes where McCarthy was just shy of the 218 votes he needs to pick up the gavel, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., wrote a letter to the Architect of the Capitol questioning McCarthy’s, R-Calif., claim to and current occupation of the Office of Speaker of the House.

“I write to inform you that the Speaker of the House Office located in the U.S. Capitol Building is currently occupied by Rep. Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz wrote in the letter he later posted online. “As of this morning, the 117th Congress adjourned sine die, and a Speaker from the 118th Congress has not been elected. After three undeciding votes, no member can lay claim to this office.”

“What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office? How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?” the Florida Republican added.

And: “Please write back promptly as it seems Mr. McCarthy can no longer be considered Speaker-Designate following today’s balloting.”

In a tweet late Tuesday evening, Gaetz called McCarthy a “squatter.”

Sen. Roger Marshal, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital that the House is having a “family fight” amid an ongoing saga to elect the next speaker.

“Right now the House is having a family fight. They need to resolve the issues ASAP, so we can get to work stopping Joe Biden’s inflationary policies,” Marshall said.

The House abruptly adjourned Tuesday afternoon after three failed attempts to elect a speaker.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tried three times to reach the 218 votes needed to secure a majority and become speaker but fell short each time.

The House abruptly adjourned shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday after three failed attempts to elect a speaker.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy tried three times to reach the 218 votes needed to secure a majority and become speaker but fell short each time. He collected 203 votes twice, then dipped to 202 votes before Republicans and Democrats quickly voted by voice to adjourn with no debate and almost no opposition from the vote-weary members.

The move gives McCarthy and members of the House Freedom Caucus some much-needed breathing space to find some agreement on how to elect a speaker. Republicans have 222 seats, but with 20 Republicans opposing McCarthy, it seemed clear that either new concessions from McCarthy would be needed to win them over, or perhaps some middle ground candidate.

The House adjourned until noon on Wednesday, and Republicans won’t be able to start running the House until a speaker is chosen.

“I’m not going anywhere,” McCarthy told reporters Tuesday morning following a contentious private meeting with the GOP Conference. “We did have an intense conference, and it’s intense for a purpose.”

Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., joined 19 Republicans to vote against House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Cali., for speaker Tuesday in the third failed vote of the day.

Donalds voted for McCarthy in the first two rounds, but said he flipped in the third round because the California congressman “doesn’t have the votes.”

“The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes,” Donalds tweeted after his decision. “I committed my support to him publicly and for two votes on the House Floor. 218 is the number, and currently, no one is there. Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps.”

The 20 Republicans joined forces to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who has endorsed McCarthy for the speakership. The failed speaker votes were the first since 1923.

“These continuous votes aren’t working for anyone,” Donalds tweeted. “When the dust settles, we will have a Republican Speaker, now is the time for our conference to debate and come to a consensus. This will take time, Democracy is messy at times, but we will be ready to govern on behalf of the American people. Debate is healthy.”

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy failed to reach 218 votes in the third round of voting for House speaker on Tuesday, and watched Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio pick one vote.

McCarthy won 202 votes to Jordan’s 20 votes. That was one less for McCarthy and one more for Jordan, thanks in part to Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who flipped to Jordan after having voted for McCarty in the first two votes.

Democrat Hakeem Jeffries of New York won 212 votes again, also short of the 218 needed to win the gavel.

The slight increase for Jordan is part of the plan by members of the House Freedom Caucus, who are hoping to create the appearance of eroding support for McCarthy and boost momentum for Jordan.

The result set up required fourth vote in the House, which is likely once more to feature McCarthy and Jordan as the only two choices for speaker from the GOP side. Voting will continue until one candidate reaches a clear majority of voting members.

The third round of voting for House speaker looks a lot like the second round, except GOP lawmakers opposed to Kevin McCarthy are hoping to start building support for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Jordan won 19 votes for speaker in the second round, and Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus hope to expand that number in the third round and show other GOP lawmakers that support can be built around someone other than McCarthy, R-Calif.

McCarthy won 203 votes in both rounds of voting but needs 218 to win the speaker’s gavel.

Democrats have stuck to their guns and delivered 212 votes each time for Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., nominated McCarthy to be speaker at the start of the third round of voting. He said Republicans were elected to help Americans coping with inflation and energy insecurity, and said the best way to do that is to vote for McCarthy.

“We can’t start fixing those problems until we elect Kevin McCarthy as our next speaker,” he said.

Jordan was nominated in the third round by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who said the House has rarely met in such large numbers for such a long time to debate.

“What we’re doing is exercising our right to vote and debate and have a discussion about the future of this country through the decision of choosing a speaker,” Roy said. “I want the tools or I want the leadership to stop the swamp from running over the average American every single day.”

There is no precedent in House history for a nominee for speaker to withdraw, Fox News is told. The question stems from whether Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who received 19 GOP votes in the second leadership ballot, could pull out. 

Jordan was nominated despite placing his support behind House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. The Ohio congressman was nominated by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., in a historic second round of votes, which failed to reach a majority again. Nineteen Republicans voted for Jordan even after he nominated McCarthy.

The first round of votes similarly had 19 Republicans vote for a candidate other than McCarthy. It was the first vote for speaker to not reach a majority since 1923.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy got no closer to securing the 218 votes he needs to become the next House speaker in the second round of voting on the House floor Tuesday.

The second round resulted in 203 votes for McCarthy, 212 for Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and 19 Republican votes that went to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

That was effectively the same as the first round, when McCarthy won 203 votes to Jeffries’ 212 votes, and 19 other votes were scattered among a few GOP alternatives.

GOP opponents of McCarthy hope later rounds of voting eventually wear down McCarthy’s supporters and boost Jordan, but several McCarthy allies said they would not waver even if the voting takes days or weeks.

President Biden “certainly will not insert himself” in the House speaker vote process, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

During the White House press briefing, Jean-Pierre said Biden, who served as a U.S. senator representing the state of Delaware for more than three decades, “understands how this process works.”

“He certainly will not insert himself in that process,” she said.

Jean-Pierre said the White House is “looking forward to working with congressional colleagues, including Democrats, Republicans and independents” in the new Congress as they continue to “move the country forward for the American people.”

“We’re certainly not going to insert ourselves in what’s happening on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue,” she said.

After denying House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy the speaker’s gavel in the first round of voting, members of the House Freedom Caucus nominated Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, as an alternative they hope can gather support.

McCarthy’s opponents have said for the last few days that their plan was to put forward a new name in the hopes that Republicans might eventually coalesce around that person, and Jordan appears to be it.

But getting there will be difficult. Dozens of Republicans indicated in a meeting Tuesday morning that the majority of their party prefers McCarthy and would reject all other alternatives.

Making it even more difficult: Jordan was nominated minutes after Jordan himself nominated McCarthy.

Jordan said the differences between Republicans “pale in comparison to the differences with the left.” The job of the Republican party, he said, is to unite to stop the agenda of a Democratic majority that ruled for the past two years.

“We can never let that kind of legislation pass again,” Jordan said before casting his vote for McCarthy. “I think Kevin McCarthy is the right guy to lead us.”

But Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said Jordan was the best choice.

“Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it so bad,” Gaetz said. “Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who has sold shares of himself for more than a decade to get it.”

“Maybe Jim Jordan is the right person for speaker of the House because he is not beholden to the lobbyists and special interests who have corrupted this place and corrupted this nation under the leadership of both Republicans and Democrats,” Gaetz said.

Patrick Hauf contributed to this report

The House of Representatives leadership election is going to a second ballot for the first time since 1923 after no candidate secured the 218 votes necessary to be elected House speaker.

The failure to reach 218 was widely expected, and McCarthy himself indicated that he expected a few rounds of voting.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy
on Tuesday failed to secure the necessary 218 votes to be the next House speaker, the first time in nearly a century that the majority’s nominee needed another vote.

By the end of the vote, 19 Republicans voted for someone other than McCarthy, enough to prevent him from hitting the 218 threshold. It was the first of what could be several votes for the speaker.

McCarthy captured 203 votes, fewer than the 212 won by Democrat Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., was nominated as an alternative Republican candidate to McCarthy in the first round, a move he said he would make after he challenged McCarthy in a GOP conference meeting late last year. Biggs won 10 of the 19 anti-McCarthy GOP votes in the first round of voting.

The failure to reach 218 was widely expected, and McCarthy himself indicated that he expected a few rounds of voting.

Hardline members of the House Freedom Caucus indicated over the last few days that after the first vote, they would nominate a new candidate around which they hoped Republicans could support.

But McCarthy and his supporters rejected the idea of anyone other than McCarthy leading Republicans in the new Congress.

Read more at Fox News Digital: First House vote for speaker ends in stalemate as McCarthy, Jeffries and Biggs split votes

Members of the 118th Congress started to vote at about 12:50 pm for House speaker.

Three members were nominated: House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Rep. Andy Biggs.

If Biggs draws at least 5 Republican votes and everyone votes along party lines, no one will reach the 218 votes needed to win the gavel, and another vote will be needed.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy won a standing ovation from most Republicans on the House floor Tuesday as he was introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who nominated him to be the next House speaker.

“Under Kevin McCarthy’s leadership, House Republicans crafted a bold vision to put America back on track,” she said.

Stefanik touted McCarthy’s pro-life and pro-Second Amendment stance, and said he’s “committed to stopping wasteful spending and shrinking the size of government.”

“No one in this body has worked harder for this Republican majority than Kevin McCarthy,” she concluded.

It appeared likely that McCarthy would need more than one vote
to secure the gavel, as several Republicans have said they would oppose him. In the meantime, Democrats nominated Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and boasted that they were “united” in their support for the minority candidate.

Metal detectors installed under Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., were removed Tuesday, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital.

McCarthy, who faces opposition in his bid for speaker, had pledged to remove the metal detectors that were installed after the January 6 Capitol riot through a resolution from the Democratic majority in 2021. Republicans took a majority of the House Tuesday for the 118th Congress.

Several House Republicans complained the metal detectors were unnecessary and refused to use them on several occasions. A refusal to use the detectors resulted in a $5,000 fine and $10,000 fine for each additional instance.

Republicans alleged the metal detectors were unfairly enforced against them as Democrats were not fined.

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., gaveled out the 117th Congress Tuesday at noon.

The 118th Congress has now begun. First is a call of the House to take attendance. After several minutes, it was announced that all 434 members were present — normally there are 435, but Rep. Donald McEachin, D-Va., died shortly after the midterm election.

Pelosi received a standing ovation that lasted around 15 seconds. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., stood front and center as members of Congress and their families cheered.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Alex Rego contributed to this report.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R.-Calif., said he will continue to run for speaker of the new Republican majority as he faces opposition within his party.

“I’m not going anywhere,” McCarthy told reporters after a private meeting with his party where he delivered a speech. “We did have an intense conference, and it’s intense for a purpose.”

McCarthy faces opposition from Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and members of the House Freedom Caucus ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

“There’s times we’re going to have to argue with our own members if they’re looking at for only positions for themselves, not for the country,” McCarthy said. “Look, I have the record for the longest speech ever on the floor. I don’t have a problem getting a record for the most votes for speaker too.”

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin reacted Tuesday to the turmoil in the House of Representatives over who will serve as the next speaker of the House.

Johnson told Fox News Digital that he hopes “whoever House Republicans elect Speaker will be fully committed to conservative principles and restoring function and fiscal sanity to the federal government.”

Johnson did not offer support or opposition for House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., said Tuesday that he opposes GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

“Kevin McCarthy is not the right candidate to be speaker,” Bishop said in a statement. “He has perpetuated the Washington status quo that makes this body one of the most unsuccessful and unpopular institutions in this country.”

McCarthy faces opposition ahead of Tuesday’s vote from Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and members of the House Freedom Caucus.

“This is not about personality differences or who has ‘earned’ the position,” Bishop said. “It’s about serving the American people. I will not be supporting the status quo.”

Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said the House Republican meeting held Tuesday morning to discuss who will be the next House speaker was “hostile,” and said GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy’s attempt to persuade hardline Republicans to vote for him fell flat.

“The meeting was very hostile and I don’t think it did anything to persuade those who are inclined to vote against Kevin McCarthy,” Good told Fox News. Good is one of five Republicans who have said they cannot vote for McCarthy.

McCarthy held his ground in the meeting and told the conference that he earned the job, but Good said his posture showed just how steep a climb McCarthy faces.

“I think it demonstrates the desperation,” Good said. “Kevin McCarthy should withdraw from the race.”

“It shouldn’t be about ambition or pride or selfishness,” he continued. “And it just continues to demonstrate he’s willing to do or say anything.”

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report

House Democratic leaders on Tuesday morning urged all their members to stay on the floor throughout the day until members elect a new House speaker, a move that will make it tougher for the GOP to win a majority vote for Kevin McCarthy or anyone else who might emerge.

A candidate needs 218 votes to become House speaker if all members are present and voting. But if some members aren’t there, or if they vote “present,” they aren’t counted and the minimum majority vote drops.

In a bid to keep the threshold high, House Democratic Whip Kathleen Clark of Massachusetts urged all Democrats to stay on the floor for as long as it takes.

“Members must remain on the Floor until the Election for Speaker of the House is completed and until directed otherwise by the Whip’s office,” she wrote. “Members must contact the Whip’s office immediately if they expect to be absent at any time.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., muttered “this is bulls—” under her breath during a House GOP Conference meeting Tuesday regarding House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speakership.

The comment, which a Boebert spokesperson told Fox News Digital wasn’t yelled or said into a mic, came Tuesday morning as McCarthy, R-Calif., delivered a speech aimed to unite his party ahead of the leadership vote. McCarthy faces opposition to speaker from Boebert and members of the House Freedom Caucus, who claim he has not proven to be worthy to be speaker of the new Republican majority.

A spokesperson for Boebert’s team confirmed the comment to Fox News Digital.

Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this report.

The group of Republicans threatening to block House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s bid to be the next House speaker dug in their heels even more over the long weekend and into Tuesday morning, when another GOP lawmaker made it clear McCarthy would not get his vote.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who was already indicating he would likely oppose McCarthy, left little doubt he would vote for someone else.

“We’ve worked in good faith for months to change the status quo,” Perry said. “At nearly every turn, we’ve even sidelined or resisted by McCarthy
, and any perceived progress has often been vague or contained loopholes that further amplified concerns as to the sincerity of the promises being made.”

Read the full story by Peter Kasperowicz for Fox News Digital: McCarthy’s GOP foes dig in before House speaker vote: ‘No principles,’ ‘part of the problem’

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., entered the House GOP Conference meeting at 9:30 a.m. ET Tuesday.

He walked by the press stakeout at 9:30 a.m. and said: “We are going to have a good day today” when asked if he has the votes for speaker.

He then laughed when asked if he’d back a Speaker Steve Scalise if McCarthy fails to get the votes needed.

Fox News’ Liz Brown-Kaiser contributed to this report.

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., chair of the Freedom Caucus, said Tuesday that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has failed to show he is worthy of leading the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

“In his 14 years in Republican Leadership, McCarthy has repeatedly failed to demonstrate any desire to meaningfully change the status quo in Washington,” Perry said in a statement released Tuesday morning. “Despite our deep reservations we have continued to work in earnest to find a path forward with McCarthy, knowing that this crucial moment would come.”

McCarthy faces criticism from an extensive list of his members as he attempts to maintain his leadership role in the party to become Speaker of the House for the 118th Congress. The statement from Perry follows a letter he sent Sunday to McCarthy along with eight members of the House Freedom Caucus that detailed their plan for the structure of party leadership. Perry added Tuesday that he would support McCarthy if he heeds to their demands.

“If Leader McCarthy is willing to publicly state that he accepts the deal to become Speaker, then we are absolutely willing to continue negotiate in good faith,” Perry told Fox News.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is scrambling for support as the final hours before Tuesday’s vote for Speaker dwindle and he still lacks the votes required.

McCarthy faces opposition from at least a dozen Republicans, and he can only afford five “no” votes when the time comes at noon.

McCarthy will make his final plea to Republican lawmakers during a conference meeting at 9:30 AM ET. He has already met with several of his loudest critics this week, but to no avail. Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Lauren Boebert of Colorado walked out of McCarthy’s office Monday evening unconvinced.

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich has blasted GOPers who still oppose McCarthy, arguing that it is “him or chaos.”

Allies of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., remain confident that he will secure the speakership during Tuesday’s votes.

McCarthy needs 218 votes from his Republican colleagues to secure the position. The vast majority of the conference has fallen in line behind him, but roughly a dozen detractors remain to be convinced. McCarthy needs to secure at least seven of those votes.

“There will be 218 votes, hopefully on the first ballot,” Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the incoming majority whip, told Punchbowl. “Kevin McCarthy will be the speaker.”

A major demand from McCarthy’s detractors is that he reinstate a rule allowing just one party member to force a vote of no confidence on the House speaker. The rule had long stood until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi first removed it, and required a member of the House leadership to force a vote.

McCarthy has already offered a compromise, saying he would allow any five members to initiate a vote to remove the speaker. Nevertheless, the offer did not appear to move the needle.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are gearing up for a potentially long night as Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is expected to wear down his opposition with multiple votes in his bid for Speaker on Tuesday.

McCarthy still faces opposition from at least twelve members of his party, and he must convince seven of them to change their tune after the voting starts at noon. McCarthy has made several concessions in the days leading up to the vote, and he met with many of his staunchest detractors personally this week.

Nevertheless, it appears that McCarthy will not have the numbers required to win the speakership in the first round of voting.