McCarthy makes gains but falls short on historic 12th speaker vote

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) on Friday failed in his 12th attempt to succeed Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) as speaker. For the first time this week, however, he began flipping votes his way.

McCarthy’s vote total had fallen from 203 on Tuesday to 200 on Thursday. But Republicans finally began to move in his direction Friday afternoon, when 14 hardliners who had supported alternatives or voted present on earlier ballots switched their votes to him.

Raucous applause from the Republican conference met each new announcement for McCarthy, though many members who switched their vote to McCarthy said that their flips were contingent upon a deal to reform House rules. The deal is expected to empower a far-right faction of House Republicans by granting them seats on the all-important Rules Committee and other concessions.

“Pending transformational rules changes to empower the rank and file,” Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) said during his vote, “McCarthy.”

On the two-year anniversary of the Capitol insurrection, the GOP-controlled House remained far from under control — three different Republicans nominated a candidate for speaker — but for the first time this week, Republicans made significant progress toward settling their differences.

Still, four days after the 118th Congress convened Tuesday, the House has neither a speaker nor any sworn-in members. There are no committee chairs to launch investigations or hold hearings. There are no rules that can be adopted and no legislation that can pass. Would-be members have lost access to national security intelligence, and an increasing number of them have begun publicly complaining about their offices’ inability to help constituents with casework.

Only four other Congresses have required more roll call votes for speaker before a winner emerged.

Until Friday, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York had led every ballot with 212 votes, a show of unity among House Democrats. On the 12th ballot, McCarthy finally surpassed Jeffries, notching 213 to Jeffries’ 211.

But until McCarthy — or another Republican — can clinch a clear majority, the House will remain in a state of paralysis, continuing its historic streak of votes for speaker and motions to adjourn.

“You only earn the position of speaker of the House if you can get the votes,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who is among a small group of far-right conservatives who have vowed they will never vote for McCarthy, said on the floor. “Mr. McCarthy doesn’t have the votes today. He will not have the votes tomorrow, and he will not have them next week, next month, next year. And so one must wonder, Madame Clerk, is this an exercise in vanity for someone who has done the math, taken the counts and is putting this institution through something that absolutely is avoidable?”

Democrats applauded some of Gaetz’s remarks, but many Republicans began to file out of the chamber in what appeared to be a clear rejection of his rhetoric.

The Republicans who switched their votes to McCarthy include Brecheen and Reps. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Keith Self (R-Texas), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.).