On Thursday, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California offered new concessions to a group of ultraconservative Republicans who have prevented him from winning the majority of votes needed to secure the House speakership.
The House takes its eighth vote to appoint a speaker. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California still doesn’t seem to have the votes needed to win office.
A table showing the current count of the most recent vote for Speaker of the House.
LIVEVith speaker Vote Compte
total dem Rep.
McCarthy
178 0 178
donald
15 0 15
Jeffries
200 200 0
Hern
2 0 2 1 0 1
Note: To win, a member must receive the majority of votes cast for an individual, not counting “present” votes. The Constitution specifies that the members of the House choose the speaker, but the speaker does not have to be a current representative or even a former representative.
Mr. McCarthy needs 218 votes if every member of Congress casts a ballot, so he can only afford to lose four Republican votes. In the seventh round of voting, held Thursday, 19 Republicans voted for Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, one, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, voted for former President Donald J. Trump, and one voted “present.” All 212 Democrats voted for Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader.
Mr. McCarthy could win the speakership with fewer than 218 votes by persuading lawmakers who don’t want to support him to vote “present” or not vote at all.
A table showing the summary counts for each House Speaker’s vote vote.
Voting round McCarthy Jeffries Others Present First 203 212 19 0 Second 203 212 19 0 Third 202 212 20 0 Fourth 201 212 20 1 Fifth 201 212 20 1 Sixth 201 212 20 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
Note: To win, a member must receive the majority of votes cast for an individual, not counting “present” votes.
On Tuesday’s first ballot, 19 House Republicans voted for a Republican other than Mr. McCarthy. On the second ballot, those same 19 opposed him, but rallied around Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a founding member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus. Mr. Jordan asked his colleagues to support Mr. McCarthy, but all 19, plus one additional Republican, voted for Mr. Jordan on the third ballot.
In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds of voting, held Wednesday, the same 20 Republicans voted for Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, and one voted “present.” The chamber reconvened at noon Thursday to continue the vote.
How each representative voted
Members who vote differently than the majority of their party are highlighted.
A list of each representative’s votes during House Speaker voting rounds.