The House held its twelfth ballot to elect a speaker on Friday morning, with McCarthy again failing to secure the 218 necessary votes. Republicans hold a 222-212 majority in the House, but a total of 21 Republicans have voted in opposition to McCarthy over the course of the selection process.
However, on the twelfth ballot, more than a dozen Republicans who previously opposed McCarthy’s leadership switched their votes in favor of the congressman. The change in votes came following a party conference meeting earlier on Friday, during which members-elect reportedly negotiated a potential agreement to elect McCarthy.
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6 January 2023, 02:42 GMT
McCarthy received 214 votes on the twelfth ballot, putting him in the lead for the first time over Congressman-elect Hakeem Jeffries, whom all Democratic members-elect have voted for in previous ballots.
"My vote today was to show support for significant Rule changes to transform the House from being dysfunctional to functional," Congressman-elect Keith Self, who switched his vote to McCarthy, said in a statement. "It has become clear to me that a couple of individuals are simply obstructionists, more interested in self-promotion than restoring the Republic."
Defecting dissenters include House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry and Congressman-elect Byron Donalds, who was previously nominated as an opposition candidate. There are still seven dissenting Republicans, leaving three to flip to secure the speakership for McCarthy.
Republicans are considering a $75 billion cut to US defense spending as part of the effort to rally support behind McCarthy, although some defense hawks who have so far voted for McCarthy expressed concerns about the proposal, US media reported on Friday.
The situation marks the first time in a century the House has failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot, and the first time since 1859 it has taken more than ten ballots.