Republicans have regained control of the House of Representatives since the November midterm elections. McCarthy was put forward as a candidatespeakersucceeding Democrat Nancy Pelosi, but faces rebellion from his party’s far-right wing.
The Speaker needs the support of half of the House members present. If all 435 members vote, there are 218. However, the Republicans only have a very narrow majority of 222 seats in the House. In the first round, 19 Republicans voted for candidates other than McCarthy, primarily Andy Biggs and Jim Jordan. They did so again in the second round, but all rallied behind Jim Jordan, even though Jordan had called on his fellow party members to close ranks. In the third round, Jordan received an additional vote.
The last time the new chairman could not be elected in one round was in 1923. Then nine rounds of voting were needed, in 1869 even sixty.
As a result of the Republican bickering, Democrat Hakeem Jeffries received the most votes so far (212, versus McCarthy’s 202). But the Democrats don’t have a majority in the House, so he would normally be the leader of the Democratic Party, the first African-American to hold that position. The House cannot vote new laws and no new members can be sworn in until a speaker is elected.