House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy failed to obtain the necessary 218 votes to become the next House speaker during the first vote on Tuesday.
Reps. McCarthy (R-Calif.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) split most of the votes, but no candidate received more than half of the vote (218) which is required to win the election. It has been nearly a century since the majority party failed to elect a speaker on the first vote, explains Fox News.
Given that some Republicans have previously declared their opposition to McCarthy, it was widely expected that he would need more than one round of voting to win the gavel.
A group of five conservatives led by Biggs and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) have publicly stated that they will not support McCarthy under any circumstances and have called on him to stand down to make room for a more viable candidate. Read more…