WASHINGTON — House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy again failed to win enough votes for the speakership on Wednesday afternoon. The House will now spend a third day deciding who will be the next Speaker of the House – the first time in a century that the process has taken so long.
The House will meet again on Thursday at noon, when members can vote for the seventh time. The chaos for two days in the GOP-run house could spell a bumpy road for the new 118th Congress.
McCarthy failed a total of six ballots to pass the threshold necessary to become a speaker.
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These are the latest developments:
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McCarthy cuts deals. In the hour before the House reconvened Wednesday night, the Congressional Leadership Fund and the Club for Growth came together to support McCarthy as speaker.
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McCarthy’s comeback after losing six ballots? McCarthy has been nominated a total of six times and has lost every vote. The Republican was the frontrunner for the speakership, but a group of Republicans has refused to support the California representative.
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What happens on day three? Members continue to vote. Voting continues until a speaker is selected. The House remains paralyzed with elected members not sworn in, lacking security clearances and the lower chamber still unable to handle legislative matters.
Day one: House is adjourned without a new speaker as McCarthy loses three rounds of voting
Day Two: ‘Groundhog Day’: House adjourns without speaker as McCarthy loses round six
Read more here: What happens after McCarthy loses the speaker’s voice several times? Here’s how the process works.
What happened Tuesday
The House of Representatives was adjourned Tuesday without a new speaker after GOP leader Kevin McCarthy lost three straight ballots in the face of tough opposition, the first time in a century that the usually pro forma process has produced more than one vote.
The last time the vote for a new speaker passed the first ballot was 100 years ago, in 1923. The loss underscores how Republican infighting between moderates and hardliners will complicate the GOP majority in the House of Representatives.
Read the summary of day one here: House is adjourned without a new speaker as McCarthy loses three rounds of voting
— USA TODAY employees
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live Updates: Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker reaches day three
