Jan. 4 (UPI) — Rep. Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday lost a sixth vote to lead Republicans as speaker of the House.
During the fourth, fifth and sixth ballots, McCarthy received 201 votes, while the Democratic nominee, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, received 212 votes from Democrats as he did in each vote Tuesday.
However, this time it was Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, instead of Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who took votes away from McCarthy. Donalds received 20 votes on all the ballots on Wednesday.
The House stands adjourned until 8 p.m. EST, giving McCarthy a few hours to try to make a deal with his opponents.
Opposition to McCarthy has been growing with each ballot. A total of 20 Republican colleagues opposed McCarthy during the third vote Tuesday, which wrapped up shortly before 5 p.m. EST, an increase from 19 during the second vote.
He had collected 202 votes on the third ballot Tuesday, one more than Wednesday’s fourth ballot.
Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., voted present in the fourth, fifth and sixth votes, voting for McCarthy in previous rounds.
Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., nominated McCarthy for the fourth vote Wednesday, saying he was the best choice to lead the party.
“I believe that in my bones, nobody has done more to lay out a plan for how we restore the basic functioning of this institution than Kevin McCarthy,” he said.
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., nominated Jeffries in the fourth and fifth vote, while Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, nominated Donalds.
“We do not seek to judge people by the color of their skin but rather the content of their character,” Roy said. “There’s an important reason for nominating Byron, and that is, this country needs a change.”
Tuesday’s vote marked the first time in 100 years a speaker has not been elected on the first ballot.
McCarthy expressed optimism Tuesday night that he would still emerge victorious, even though some Republicans have suggested that McCarthy could lose more votes.
“This isn’t about me,” McCarthy told reporters. “This is about the conference now because the members who are holding out … they want something for their personal selves.”
McCarthy also said it doesn’t matter if he loses more votes.
“It doesn’t matter — I have the most votes,” he said.
Donalds had voted for McCarthy during the first two rounds, but voted against him during the third round. He suggested that McCarthy could lose more votes the longer voting goes on.
McCarthy said Tuesday there is no scenario in which where he pulls out of the race for speaker, noting that he could seek a path in which he does not need to secure 218 votes, but rather a smaller majority by persuading some of his detractors to vote “present.”
“You’re sitting on 202 votes, so you need technically just 11 more votes to win,” he said. “Democrats have 212 votes. You get 213 votes, and the others don’t say another name, that’s how you can win.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s votes, McCarthy had announced several concessions in a proposed House rules package, including changes to how the speaker could be removed, in an effort to gain the necessary votes. The concessions would allow any five Republican party members to call for the speaker’s removal at any time, rather than a threshold of more than half of the House GOP conference that Republicans adopted in an internal rule in November.
Despite the concessions, several Republicans followed through on their plan to vote for Jordan.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia criticized fellow Republicans who opposed McCarthy, noting that even Jordan is supporting McCarthy.
“How did 19 Republicans not respect that?” Greene said. “I think 19, or 20 now, should respect Jim Jordan’s wishes.”
Former President Donald Trump said the Republicans should vote for McCarthy.
“It is a dangerous game, and, frankly, if they are not happy with him, they can do something about it at a later date,” Trump told Fox News Digital in an interview. “I support [McCarthy] and I support getting the deal done. What I don’t support is allowing this to continue onward.”
