The House abruptly adjourned shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday after three failed attempts to elect a speaker.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy tried three times to reach the 218 votes needed to secure a majority and become speaker but fell short each time. He collected 203 votes twice, then dipped to 202 votes before Republicans and Democrats quickly voted by voice to adjourn with no debate and almost no opposition from the vote-weary members.
The move gives McCarthy and members of the House Freedom Caucus some much-needed breathing space to find some agreement on how to elect a speaker. Republicans have 222 seats, but with 20 Republicans opposing McCarthy, it seemed clear that either new concessions from McCarthy would be needed to win them over, or perhaps some middle ground candidate.
The House adjourned until noon on Wednesday, and Republicans won’t be able to start running the House until a speaker is chosen.
“I’m not going anywhere,” McCarthy told reporters Tuesday morning following a contentious private meeting with the GOP Conference. “We did have an intense conference, and it’s intense for a purpose.”
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., joined 19 Republicans to vote against House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Cali., for speaker Tuesday in the third failed vote of the day.
Donalds voted for McCarthy in the first two rounds, but said he flipped in the third round because the California congressman “doesn’t have the votes.”
“The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes,” Donalds tweeted after his decision. “I committed my support to him publicly and for two votes on the House Floor. 218 is the number, and currently, no one is there. Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps.”
The 20 Republicans joined forces to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who has endorsed McCarthy for the speakership. The failed speaker votes were the first since 1923.
“These continuous votes aren’t working for anyone,” Donalds tweeted. “When the dust settles, we will have a Republican Speaker, now is the time for our conference to debate and come to a consensus. This will take time, Democracy is messy at times, but we will be ready to govern on behalf of the American people. Debate is healthy.”