California Rep. Kevin McCarthy is speaker of the House of Representatives. He was elected on Jan. 7, following several days of deliberation.
Negotiations began on Jan. 3, the first day of the 118th Congress, and lasted four days with 15 rounds of voting. After falling short for the first 11 rounds, McCarthy was able to secure 14 Republican votes in the 12th round and one more in the 13th, both held on Jan. 6.
2023 marks the first time the speaker of the House position has required multiple ballots since 1923, during the 68th Congress.
“It’s a little embarrassing that it’s taking so long, and the way they are dealing with one another. How do you think this looks to the rest of the world?” President Joe Biden told reporters outside the White House on Jan. 4, while voting was still underway.
The final tally was 216 Republican votes for McCarthy, from a total of 222 Republican voters. The six remaining Republican members voted “present” – effectively abstaining from voting. According to CNN Politics, getting the remaining members to vote “present” was a crucial part of McCarthy’s strategy: in the current House of 435 members, 218 votes are required for a majority vote. However, this only accounts for those voting for specific candidates, so any votes without a specific candidate did not count against McCarthy’s final total.
McCarthy and his constituents made an extensive list of compromises during the voting process, according to CNN reporters. These included: promising votes on important conservative bills, including budget amendments and term limits; pairing efforts to raise the U.S.’s debt ceiling with spending cuts; and the ability for any member to call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair.
The final vote McCarthy needed to receive the speaker position came from Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who abruptly changed his vote in the 15th round. “I ran out of things I could even imagine to ask for,” Gaetz told reporters after the vote.
“I’m glad it’s over,” McCarthy told Congress as he left the floor.
“I am prepared to work with Republicans when I can and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well. Now that the leadership of the House of Representatives has been decided it is time for that process to begin.” Biden said in a statement on the White House website, following McCarthy’s election.
The 118th Congress will continue until Jan. 3, 2025, coinciding with Biden’s presidential term.
