World News: OnPolitics: Kevin McCarthy fails to secure House speaker in two rounds of voting; what's next?

Tuesday, January 3

McCarthy calls out Gaetz over speaker election

OnPolitics: House GOP fails to elect new leader in historic first

Not since 1923 has the vote for a new speaker needed more than one ballot. Here's what's next.

It's the first day of the 118th Congress and all eyes are on the House floor today.

What happened: Rep. Kevin McCarthy lost two rounds of voting for House speaker, throwing the new GOP majority in disarray and marking the first time a century that the vote for a new speaker went past the initial ballot. Here's a look at what happened and what it means.

•	McCarthy secured only 203 votes in the first vote, far less than the majority of 218 he needed to secure the speaker's post, according to the House clerk.
•	Nineteen other Republicans voted for other candidates, which include 'never Kevin' Republicans who are pushing for concessions.
•	McCarthy even trailed Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who had the support of 212 Democrats.
•	Jeffries made history as the first Black lawmaker to lead a major party in Congress.

👀 Follow our live coverage here for the latest on the vote.

Why it matters: The vote is far more than a ceremonial procedure: the GOP can't begin any of the business of running the House until a speaker is chosen.

The speaker of the House is a powerful role, reporter Rachel Looker writes, in line behind the vice president to succeed the president should the commander in chief be incapacitated. But the more prominent authority the speaker wields is controlling the agenda and committee assignments that shape legislation in the lower chamber of Congress.

The context: The last time the vote for a new speaker went past the first ballot was 100 years ago, in 1923. The loss underscores how Republican infighting between moderates and hardliners will complicate the GOP's majority in the House of Representatives.

📲 Get the latest updates: Follow our live blog from the first day of the 118th Congress and the House speaker votes.

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