() — Representative Kevin McCarthy faces his 14th defeat, after failing once again this Friday in the effort to elect himself as speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Although he built a wave of support among hardline Republicans during the day and appeared confident of getting the necessary votes, he fell short of the threshold. During the thirteenth round, McCarthy had 216 votes, Hakeem Jeffries 212, Andy Biggs 2, and Jim Jordan 2.
In a dramatic reversal McCarthy got an additional 15 votes on ballots 12 and 13, but it wasn’t enough to win and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to get the remaining ones.
McCarthy was confident of getting enough votes.
Before the last vote on Friday night, McCarthy expressed confidence that he would get the votes to secure his election as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“I’ll have the votes,” McCarthy told ‘s Manu Raju when asked if he could swing the vote for two Republican congressmen, Rep. Matt Rosendale and Rep.-elect Eli Crane.
The lawmaker then told reporters that once the House resumes session, “I think we’ll have the votes to end this once and for all.”
“Because it took so long, we now learned how to rule. So now we can get the job done,” McCarthy added.
The current bid for the House leadership is already the longest dispute in 164 years, as the process has stretched into its fourth day.
A group of hardline Republicans managed to derail McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker even after negotiations moved ahead Thursday night. In fact, some changed their vote for McCarthy this Friday.
No member of Congress can be sworn in until a Speaker of the House is elected.
Who changed their vote in favor of McCarthy this Friday?
McCarthy is at a crossroads for his political future, as he has spent four days trying to get the votes that allow him to become speaker of the House of Representatives. Efforts to secure a deal with Conservatives who have opposed his candidacy gained momentum on Friday, but it remains unclear whether they will be enough.
Votes changing to McCarthy on ballot number 12 were: Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Michael Cloud of Texas, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Byron Donalds of Florida, Mary Miller of Illinois, Ralph Norman of South Carolina , Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Chip Roy of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana (who had been voting present and had said she would continue to do so until she saw some progress), Paul Gosar of Arizona, and Reps-elect Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Anna Paulina Luna from Florida, Keith Self from Texas and Andy Ogles from Tennessee.
On the 13th ballot, McCarthy got an additional endorsement: Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland.
But there are still six Republicans who have voted against McCarthy: Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Matt Rosendale of Montana and Rep.-elect Eli Crane of Arizona.
Two members who were absent to vote this Friday, Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado and Wesley Hunt of Texas, are expected to return Friday night. Both lawmakers are McCarthy supporters.
McCarthy suffered a series of defeats Thursday as the House voted round after round of the election. The longer the fighting drags on, the more dangerous it becomes for McCarthy, as he risks more defections and a loss of confidence in the Republican leader.
McCarthy wins endorsement from key critics
Several Republican members who switched their votes to support McCarthy on Friday said they are encouraged by the framework of a deal, but did not provide details about the deal. In addition, they indicated that the talks are ongoing.
“It’s the framework of a good faith deal that allows us to keep moving forward,” Perry told reporters after 14 House Republicans swung their vote in favor of McCarthy on the 12th ballot.
Roy cautioned that talks are ongoing and more work remains to be done.
“We’re not done yet, right? We still don’t have 218 on the plenary and we’re going to continue having conversations,” Roy said.
Bishop said: “The central details are known. This frame has a considerable amount of detail. We’ve worked very hard to make sure it’s doable, strong, and well understood.”
McCarthy’s strategy to convince the missing ones involves Trump
McCarthy’s allies plan to increase the pressure on reluctant lawmakers and win them over one by one to get the necessary votes, but it won’t mean concessions or further negotiations.
The emerging strategy, according to the sources involved, includes leaning on former President Donald Trump to help convince those who remain reluctant. His strategists have been in contact and believe Trump is willing to make more calls. Another source said that Trump is calling McCarthy.
So far, Trump’s pleas haven’t moved the numbers, but he hasn’t invested much capital in it either. Now Trump has a chance to claim victory with a McCarthy presidency truly within reach.
However, the Trump team sees a handful of critics as unwinnable, including Gaetz and Boebert, and won’t mess around with them.
