Republican leader Kevin McCarthy failed to become House speaker in the first rounds of votes Tuesday, marking a historic defeat.
McCarthy, the first House speaker nominee in 100 years to fail in the first round, needed 218 votes to win the speakership position and secured just 203, with 19 Republicans voting against him. He failed again in the second and third rounds.
Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz from Florida has been one of the most vocal opponents of McCarthy, voting against him Tuesday.
"Those of us who will not be voting for Kevin McCarthy today take no joy in this discomfort that this moment has brought," Gaetz said Tuesday ahead of the votes. "If you want to drain the swamp you can’t put the biggest alligator in control of the exercise."
The House can’t swear in lawmakers, establish rules for the next two years, or pass new legislation, until a speaker is elected.
The last time a speaker election went to multiple ballots was in 1923. That year, it took nine rounds before a speaker was chosen.
McCarthy has vowed he would fight for the position as long as it takes.
"We may have a battle on the floor, but the battle is for the country and the conference and that’s fine with me," McCarthy told reporters Tuesday.
President Joe Biden has asked for more aid for Ukraine from Congress.
Water infrastructure across the country is vulnerable as climate change makes storms more unpredictable and destructive, flooding low-lying drinking water treatment plants and overwhelming coastal sewage systems.
Iran has transferred five Iranian-Americans from prison to house arrest in exchange for billions of dollars frozen in South Korea, U.S. and Iranian officials said Thursday, in a deal that comes after months of heightened tensions between the two countries.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has requested a court date of Jan. 2, 2024 for Former President Donald Trump's 2020 election fraud case trial.
Former President Donald Trump will not sign the loyalty pledge typically required by the RNC to be in the first primary debate.
Gun safety groups are rallying behind President Joe Biden and his upcoming re-election campaign.
Fernando Villavicencio, a candidate in Ecuador's upcoming presidential election, was shot and killed Wednesday at a political rally in Quito.
A man accused of threatening President Joe Biden was shot and killed by the FBI as they sought to serve a warrant for him in Utah.
The shooting happened around 6:15 a.m. as special agents tried to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City.
President Joe Biden will make his case for bringing back factory jobs in the U.S. during a speech in New Mexico.
