The speaker of the House election is headed for a 10th vote as Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and his allies continue to huddle with the 20 holdouts in his party throughout Thursday’s votes.
The same group of GOP lawmakers that have been voting against McCarthy since Tuesday blocked his candidacy on the ninth ballot. The only changes to yesterday’s votes compared to the most recent round came from McCarthy foes Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Josh Brecheen (R-OK), and Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who each voted for Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who reportedly had to leave for a medical appointment, did not vote.
MCCARTHY ALLIES SAY 20 GOP DETRACTORS ARE HOLDING PARTY ‘HOSTAGE’
Gaetz had voted for former President Donald Trump on the prior two rounds. Hern continues to vote for McCarthy.
The remaining defectors backed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), while all of the Democrats have voted for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on each round. McCarthy’s camp is determined to move the needle on negotiations before the pressure of leaving for the weekend sets in and some members must go back to their districts for family obligations.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, nominated McCarthy for the ninth ballot, while House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Ted Lieu (D-CA) nominated Jeffries. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) nominated Donalds, and Boebert nominated Hern for the first time.
Republicans may call for a motion to adjourn after the ninth ballot and keep talking with the detractors. Democrats are whipping against adjourning, and the vote Wednesday night to push the next vote until Thursday nearly failed when four of the rebel GOP lawmakers joined with them.
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Though McCarthy has made numerous concessions to the group, including allowing one member to act on the motion to vacate the chair, placing more conservative hard-liners on the House Rules Committee, promising votes on key bills, and not spending in safe Republican primaries, a few of the holdouts, who include Gaetz and Boebert, remain unswayed. Another group that includes Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Dan Bishop (R-NC) say they could be convinced if more of their demands are met.
This is the first time since 1923 that electing the speaker has taken more than one ballot.
