Kevin McCarthy again loses the speaker’s bid as an alternative to key supporters

UPDATE: When Kevin McCarthy lost the fifth ballot in his bid to become Speaker, members rallied in an apparent attempt to break the deadlock.

Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who has so far supported his bid, suggested on CNN that Louisiana Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise would be an alternative. After the final vote, Scalise was seen on the floor talking to two of the McCarthy dissidents, Matt Gaetz and Scott Perry, as well as New York Congressman George Santos. Santos, who has admitted to making up stories about his background, has so far voted for McCarthy.

The final vote was unchanged from previous rounds.

BEFORE: With Kevin McCarthy about to lose a fifth vote in his bid for Speaker of the House, one of his supporters, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), proposed to step aside.

Appearing on CNN, Buck said McCarthy should make a deal with the dissidents or give someone else a chance. Buck mentioned House Majority Leader Steve Scalise as one possibility.

BEFORE: Kevin McCarthy lost a fourth vote to secure a majority and win the House Speakership.

The 20 Republicans who opposed his bid remained, and all voted for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who was brought in this round as the replacement.

The only difference in the vote was that of Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), who changed her vote to presentation after voting for McCarthy on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, former President Donald Trump urged members to vote for McCarthy to “seal the deal.”

“REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GREAT AND EMBARRASSING DEFEAT,” Trump wrote.

In the fifth round nomination of Donalds, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) said Trump “needs to tell Kevin McCarthy, ‘Sir, you don’t have the votes and it’s time to retire.’

But there was no shift in the final vote after McCarthy.

Jeffries received 212 votes, McCarthy 201 and Donalds 20. The winner must receive a majority of the votes cast for a candidate.

BEFORE: The House began a new vote on Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speaker, a fourth attempt to break a 20-member GOP deadlock that has so far denied him a majority.

McCarthy’s GOP opponents have floated another name for the speaker: Rep. Byron Donalds, who has served as Florida Rep. since 2021.

Democrats renominated Hakeem Jeffries, the party leader, who won a majority vote three times amid divisions on the GOP side. Jeffries was the first African-American to be nominated as a speaker.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), one of the leaders of the anti-McCarthy movement, nominated Donalds, who is black. Roy received applause from both sides of the aisle when he remarked: “For the first time in history, two black Americans have been named speakers of the House of Representatives.” On Tuesday, Donalds voted for McCarthy in the first two roles, but switched to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who proposed McCarthy shutdowns as an alternative. As the call ended, he stood in the back of the room watching and occasionally chatting with other members.

Reporters watched McCarthy’s office all morning, hoping to get a clue about Wednesday’s game schedule and whether there were any signs of movement on his side. McCarthy walked out of the room, insisting that “we can get there at the end of the day.”

News channels were once again fixated on the messy process that unfolded as C-SPAN took candid photos in the members’ room as they watched the roll call. A C-SPAN spokesperson said they are usually given access to the room at major events, meaning they don’t rely on government-controlled feeds, which typically provide wide-angle shots of the room and close-ups of the speakers.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) conceded on McCarthy’s nomination that the process “looks messy,” prompting laughter on the Democratic side, where members remained united. Gallagher added: “We’ve aired everything publicly for the American people to see.”

He tried to give members more reasons to support McCarthy, telling members that no one had done everything possible to get us a majority than the Republican in California.

The deputies have not yet been sworn in, which can only happen after a new speaker is elected. The scene was more subdued on Wednesday than on Tuesday as many more children attended as members invited the family to witness their performance. But it never happened.