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The GOP-dominated House of Representatives has yet to secure a majority Speaker.
Republican Kevin McCarthy from California, who had been House minority leader since 2019, was considered the most likely candidate for the role.
He was unable to secure enough Republican votes. As a result, McCarthy became the first leader to lose a first-round vote in about a century.
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Opposition from the most conservative bloc of the Republican Party — Matt Gaetz of Florida; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Matt Rosendale of Montana; Andy Biggs of Arizona; and Bob Good of Virginia — will lead to additional rounds of balloting.
Whether McCarthy replaces current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the 118th Congress remains to be seen.
To become speaker, McCarthy needed a majority of 218 votes out of the 434 House seats. With a very narrow Republican majority of 222 versus 213, McCarthy received just 203 votes.
Some hard-line Republicans voted for Biggs, while six members voted for Jim Jordan of Ohio.
McCarthy has spent the majority of eight years coveting the role.
Meanwhile, the majority of Democrats (212) enthusiastically voted for Hakeem Jeffries (pictured) as minority leader. Jeffries has represented New York’s 8th congressional district since 2013.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington remains president pro tempore (Latin term meaning “for the time being”). That means she is third in line for the presidency.
This marks the first time since 1923 that a House speaker won’t be chosen on the first ballot, according to The Washington Post.
Images: Pixabay & Shutterstock.
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Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.