(Presidentialwire.com)- After two days of voting, the House of Representatives adjourned Wednesday night after a sixth vote for Speaker of the House failed to produce a majority winner.
By Wednesday night, Republican Kevin McCarthy’s quest for the Speaker’s gavel remained out of reach as 20 Republican members hold fast in opposing him.
The House reconvened just before 8:00 pm Wednesday when Congressman Tom Cole raised a motion to adjourn until Thursday at noon. The adjournment vote passed, 216 to 214, with most Republicans wanting to adjourn while Democrats wanted to hold a seventh vote.
Voting for Speaker is the first order of business for the new Congress. Until a Speaker is selected, the 118th Congress can’t be sworn in.
Tuesday was the first time in 100 years that a Speaker of the House was not elected on the first ballot.
McCarthy told reporters after the sixth vote that he didn’t believe holding another vote Wednesday night would make “any difference.” McCarthy said it would be better to give people “some more time” to work things through.
During the fourth, fifth, and sixth votes on Wednesday, McCarthy received 201 votes while the Democrat nominee Hakeem Jeffries received all 212 Democrat votes.
Leading the Republican effort to oppose McCarthy are Matt Gaetz (FL) and Andy Biggs (AZ).
The other members voting against McCarthy are Dan Bishop, Lauren Boebert, Josh Brecheen, Michael Cloud, Andrew Clyde, Eli Crane, Bob Good, Paul Gosar, Andy Harris, Anna Paulina Luna, Mary Miller, Ralph Norman, Andy Ogles, Scott Perry, Matt Rosendale, Chip Roy, Keith Self, and Byron Donalds.
Donalds had voted for McCarthy in the first two rounds on Tuesday only to vote against him in the third round. On Wednesday, Congressman Roy nominated Donalds as Speaker. Donalds then garnered support from 20 Republicans during the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds of voting.
