Kevin McCarthy Comes Up Short Again As Speaker Race Heads to Third Ballot

After GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy failed on Tuesday to secure enough votes to win the speaker's gavel on the first ballot, a second round was necessitated — the first time additional ballots were needed since 1923. 

The vote for speaker will go to a second ballot, followed by an indefinite number of additional votes if a candidate can’t secure a majority. https://t.co/xMYnoLa78j pic.twitter.com/VrSRU3dWgH

— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) January 3, 2023

This is, presumably, not the kind of historic start GOP leadership was hoping for as the majority party in the new Congress. 

For the second ballot, Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Kevin McCarthy were again nominated. But, instead of renominating Rep. Andy Biggs as the GOP alternative to McCarthy, Rep. Matt Gaetz nominated Rep. Jim Jordan — who had nominated McCarthy for the second ballot. 

.@RepMattGaetz: "I'm nominating Jim Jordan. Jim Jordan is humble, perhaps today humble to a fault. Maybe the right person for the job of Speaker of the House isn't someone who wants it so bad." pic.twitter.com/HJgJm4dDsU

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 3, 2023

In the second round, McCarthy received 203 votes, Jeffries got 212, and Jordan got 19 votes as GOP opposition to McCarthy coalesced around Jordan, even as the Ohio Republican cast his second round vote for McCarthy. 

Notably, the first round saw 19 House Republicans vote for someone other than McCarthy, and the same members all voted for Jordan in the second round. That is, the second ballot did not move anyone into McCarthy's column, leaving him short of securing the speaker's gavel again.

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THATS A WRAP on the second ballot roll. 19 House Rs still vote against him -- no more or less than the first ballot. Shows a lot of work still left for them.

All 19 voted for Jordan this round.

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 3, 2023

The House will now move to a third ballot, but it seems as though attempts by House GOP leaders to cajole rank-and-file Republicans into supporting McCarthy in a meeting on Tuesday morning backfired rather spectacularly, as Rep. Chip Roy — who voted for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) on the first ballot and Rep. Jim Jordan in the second round. 

Congressman Chip Roy is calling out the Swamp LIVE on Fox News for their dirty tricks.

"This morning, a group of folks threatened some of us, and they lost votes on that." pic.twitter.com/RcecOy4XbA

— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) January 3, 2023

This is a developing story and may be updated.