Kevin McCarthy loses sixth vote in House speaker bid, as chamber adjourns
The chaos on Capitol Hill is set to continue for a fourth day on Friday as the Republican party remains at war over who to elect as the next speaker of the House of Representatives.
Kevin McCarthy has now failed to secure enough votes after a staggering 11 roll call votes â making it the longest House speaker vote since 1855.
Mr McCarthyâs bid has been derailed by a group of far-right Republicans â dubbed the âNever Kevinsâ and including the likes of Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz â who are refusing to back him.
On Thursday, Mr Gaetz vowed to resign from his role in Congress should a moderate Republican be elected as new House leader.
âIf Democrats join up to elect a moderate Republican, I will resign from the House of Representatives. That is how certain I am. I can assure your viewers that wonât happen,â he told Fox News on Thursday night.
The threat was welcomed by several social media users who urged Democrats to help him make good on his word.
Watch the proceedings live here.
More George Santos jokes as House speaker fiasco rolls on
It was only a matter of time before we heard about George Santos again.
Representative Jamie Raskin quipped on Thursday evening that Mr Santos, whose nascent term in the House has been marred by a series of outrageous, disproven claims about his biography made on the campaign trail, has had a more successful go of things than Kevin McCarthy, who has lost 11 straight votes on taking over as the House speaker for the GOP.
âWe never had to deal with this much chaos when George Santos was Speaker,â Mr Raskin wrote on Twitter.
Josh Marcus6 January 2023 12:45
Jamie Raskin evokes Shakespeare to make dig at GOP speaker turmoil
Outgoing Democratic Rep Jamie Raskin evoked Shakespeare as he made a dig at the House speaker vote turmoil caused by infighting in the Republican party.
âTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time… Macbeth 5, 5,â he simply tweeted, quoting from William Shakespeareâs MacBeth.
His jibe came as Kevin McCarthy failed to secure enough votes in an 11th roll call vote on Thursday.
Rachel Sharp6 January 2023 12:15
McCarthy declares heâs ânot putting any timelineâ on speaker vote
After 11 unsuccessful votes, Kevin McCarthy says heâs ânot putting any timelineâ on when he might become Speaker of the House.
âIâm not putting any timeline on it,â he told Punchbowl News on Thursday after the House adjourned. âWeâve got some progress going on. Members are talking.â
There was chatter on the hill that a deal between different factions of the GOP had been reached to allow Mr McCarthy to take the high office, but details of the rumoured pact have not been made public.
Josh Marcus6 January 2023 11:45
CNN host calls out Republican over âyoung ladyâ remark
A CNN host called out a Republican representative on live TV for addressing her as a âyoung ladyâ while answering a question amid ensuing chaos over the election for a new House speaker.
Representative Troy Nehls, who appeared on CNN for the first time on Thursday, was asked by anchor Erin Burnett if negotiators in his party were making any progress on the vote.
The interaction took place as California Republican Kevin McCarthy lost an 11th vote in his bid to become speaker and before the House adjourned for a third day with a stalemate.
Read the full story here:
Rachel Sharp6 January 2023 11:15
Trump posts joke about becoming House speaker himself
At this point, anything could happen, so why not have some fun?
That seems to be the mindset from Donald Trump at the moment.
Even though the former president isnât a member of Congress, he made a Truth Social post on Thursday superimposing himself into the House speakerâs chair.
The rules around the speakership donât technically bar Mr Trump from taking the post â and his ally Matt Gaetz has even nominated him to lead the House â but itâs unlikely the former president would ever win the role, especially because he has already endorsed Kevin McCarthy.
For now, all we have is this…uh…very creative image from Mr Trump.
A joke image posted on Donald Trumpâs Truth Social page showing Donald Trump as the new House speaker
(Donald Trump)
Josh Marcus6 January 2023 10:45
Matt Gaetz vows to resign over speaker chaos
On Thursday, Matt Gaetz vowed to resign from his role in Congress should a moderate Republican be elected as new House leader.
The Florida congressman was asked by Fox Newsâ Laura Ingraham on Thursday night about the possibility of Republicans striking a deal with moderate Democrats in order to get the 218 votes needed to elect a Republican as House leader.
âIf Democrats join up to elect a moderate Republican, I will resign from the House of Representatives. That is how certain I am. I can assure your viewers that wonât happen,â he said.
The threat to resign was welcomed by several social media users who urged Democrats to help him make good on his word.
âNow is our chance: matt gaetz says he will resign if democrats help kevin get elected. Iâm all for it, kevin wonât be able to do anything anyway,â one person tweeted.
Another chimed: âYOU HEARD HIM GUYS.â
Rachel Sharp6 January 2023 10:15
Voices: Why the insurgents trying to torpedo Kevin McCarthyâs speaker bid are not serious
Voices: Why the insurgents trying to torpedo Kevin McCarthyâs speaker bid are not serious
Eric Garcia writes that Matt Gaetz nominating Donald Trump for House speaker proves this is nothing to do with serious policy divisions.
Oliver O’Connell6 January 2023 09:45
Congresswoman evokes âday 3 vibesâ and carries her dog to House floor as Speaker crisis drags on
Representative Nancy Mace from South Carolina was photographed carrying her dog Libby to the House of Representatives chamber as the vote to choose a new speaker dragged on for the third day.
When asked by a reporter whether âpups are allowed on the House floorâ, she responded by saying that âthere are no rules right nowâ.
Sravasti Dasgupta6 January 2023 09:15
From laughing to cringing: The most memorable images of three days of House speaker votes
With C-SPAN providing an unfiltered live feed of all the action on the floor of the House of Representatives as the votes continue to name a speaker, audiences have been treated to an interesting insight into how Congress functions â or dysfunctions, as the case may be.
Usually, congressional rules dictate what cameras can and cannot show, but with no representatives sworn in there are no such rules.
There have been some memorable still images captured by photographers present in the chamber as lawmakers have laughed, cringed, appeared frustrated and huddled in tense negotiation between ballots as Kevin McCarthy suffered defeat after defeat.
Here are some of the best images to emerge so far:
Oliver O’Connell6 January 2023 08:45
McCarthy defiant despite 11th humiliating defeat: âItâs not how you start, itâs how you finishâ
Kevin McCarthy rang in a defiant tone after a seventh consecutive defeat in his bid to become House speaker as he said it was fine if some processes âtake a little longerâ and donât âmeet your deadlineâ.
The House on Thursday adjourned for the third time in as many days with a stalemate.
Despite this, Mr McCarthy told reporters after the adjournment that âif this takes a little longer and it doesnât meet your deadline thatâs okay. Because itâs not how you start, itâs how you finish.â He added: âIf we finish well, weâll be very successful.â
Maroosha Muzaffar reports:
Sravasti Dasgupta6 January 2023 08:15