January 5, 2023 GOP deadlocked over House speaker vote

Our live coverage of the House speaker election has moved here.

After the House voted to adjourn for the night, Rep. Kevin McCarthy told reporters that while there has been progress in negotiations, there was no timeline on when he could get to 218 votes.

McCarthy’s bid for speaker – he lost 11 votes in the House this week – has been stymied by about 20 fellow Republicans.

“I have the longest speech on the floor so apparently I like to make history,” McCarthy said, referring to an address of 8 hours and 32 minutes he made in November 2021 aimed at stalling President Biden’s plan to expand the social safety net. “If this takes a little longer, that’s OK,” he added.

McCarthy also addressed why differences weren’t resolved before Tuesday, saying “we tried to sort it out before Jan. 3.”

On the concessions he’s made so far, McCarthy said he’s not concerned about giving just one member the power to call for a vote to oust the speaker. “I’m very fine with that,” McCarthy said. “I’m not afraid. … I won’t be a weaker speaker.”

McCarthy also denied that any members would lose committee assignments and said there have been no negotiations that involved giving subcommittee chairmanships to dissidents.

House Republicans are scheduled to hold a conference call Friday, a source familiar tells CNN.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy and his allies had wanted to avoid another in-person conference-wide meeting after Tuesday’s in-person meeting led to private tensions spilling out into public view.

But the thought is that a call could potentially minimize that, as members from all sides of the conference continue to try to come to a deal over the speakership.

Despite making key concessions to get the top job, McCarthy on Thursday was again unable to persuade enough Republicans to elect him Speaker of the House — failing to get the required majority after 11 rounds of voting that have taken place over three days.

This has been the longest contest for speaker in 164 years.

As the stalemate continues, tensions are rising. One reliably conservative GOP lawmaker told CNN about the “increasing frustration” among centrists at the number of concessions McCarthy has offered opponents as he scrambles to get to 218 votes.

Here are the key details:

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has now failed to win a majority of votes across 11 ballots over three days in his push to become House speaker.

Despite continued talks, 20 Republicans have consistently not voted for him (up from 19 defections in the first two rounds) — and instead have nominated other candidates to take votes away from McCarthy.

The House will remain paralyzed until this standoff is resolved. It’s now the longest contest in 164 years.

Here’s a look at how the votes panned out on Thursday:

Seventh: 

Eighth:

Ninth:

10th:

11th:

The House has voted to adjourn until noon on Friday — without a clear decision on a speaker. The House cannot continue any business or swear in new members without filling the speaker role.

Lawmakers voted five times on Thursday, but Rep. Kevin McCarthy was unable to secure the votes to win the speakership.

Members say negotiations are ongoing.

The House is now voting on whether or not to adjourn until noon ET on Friday.

The motion needs a simple majority to pass.

Kevin McCarthy was defeated again in the 11th round of voting for House speaker.

This is now the longest speaker contest in 164 years.

His GOP opponents nominated two other Republicans – Rep. Kevin Hern and former President Donald Trump – to draw votes away from McCarthy.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had the unanimous support of his caucus.

The final tally was:

GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry, a key negotiator who is trying to lock in support for Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker, said the House is “probably not” going to adjourn any time soon. 

But he expressed optimism about the state of the negotiations. 

“Each meeting is more positive than the last. And that’s a very nice sign,” McHenry told reporters as he emerged from the GOP negotiating room. 

“This is gonna be a nice evening eventually, just a question of when,” he said. 

When asked if there was a deal physically on paper he quipped, “Yeah, no, we’re not quite digital yet.” 

“What we want to do is have assurances on paper about what the process is and how to deliver these conservative reforms that I think the conference will appreciate and endorse,” he said. 

Rep. Kevin McCarthy steered hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash to members of the GOP caucus now threatening his bid for Speaker of the House, FEC records show.

Since 2008, McCarthy’s leadership PAC, Majority Committee PAC, has given $316,000 to 17 of the Republican members now opposing him.

One of the largest beneficiaries is also one of McCarthy’s most vocal opponents, Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, who has received more than $50,000 from McCarthy’s PAC since 2012. 

McCarthy has also given at least $25,000 to Reps. Michael Cloud, Andrew Clyde, Andy Harris and Ralph Norman over the years.

McCarthy’s contributions to the rebellious members were made through his leadership PAC, Majority Committee. Leadership PACs are fundraising vehicles that exist in addition to a candidate’s primary campaign committee. Prominent members, leveraging their profile, use them to raise and dispense extra cash to their allies.

Here’s a look at contributions:

Rep. Kevin McCarthy appears to have suffered defeat in the 11th ballot for House speaker as more than five Republicans opposed his bid.

The current bid for House leadership is now the longest speaker contest in 164 years.

A group of hardline Republicans have so far derailed McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker — even after McCarthy reportedly proposed major concessions late Wednesday.

No member of Congress can be sworn in until a House speaker is elected.

Why CNN says “appears to” suffer a defeat before the gavel goes down: Members-elect have the ability to change their votes before the vote is gaveled over. CNN is following along and tallying the voice votes as they happen, but it’s important to be clear that anything could technically change before the vote ends. 

GOP Rep. Ralph Norman, one of the GOP holdouts voting against Rep. Kevin McCarthy, told CNN a deal that is in the works includes certain changes they are looking for.

“This is changes that we want,” Norman told CNN after viewing a deal in GOP Rep. Tom Emmer’s office.

Norman said the majority of the deal revolves around rule changes like a 72-hour rule to review bills, term limits, and open amendments.

The deal, he said, did not address committee assignments. 

Norman added that he was not sure if there was enough support from lawmakers to adjourn the House tonight.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is currently huddled in the speaker’s ceremonial office, off the House floor, and was just joined by key negotiators: Rep. Byron Donalds, Rep. Tom Emmer and Rep. Chip Roy. 

The three Republicans scrambled up to the second floor to meet McCarthy after a lengthy negotiating session in Emmer’s office with other lawmakers, where they were viewing an emerging written deal to break the stalemate over McCarthy’s speakership.

Lawmakers just started voting on an 11th speakership ballot.

The House is now voting for the 11th time for speaker — the fifth round on Thursday alone – as Republicans remain gridlocked.

A group of 20 lawmakers has stood in the way of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s quest to be speaker.

Democrats, who are in the minority, have stood united behind their nominee, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

In addition to McCarthy and Jeffries, former President Donald Trump and Rep. Kevin Hern were nominated for the speaker role in this round.

It’s unclear if anything will change however as McCarthy has lost the last 10 ballots. ##Speaker Vote##

Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of the Republicans who has refused to back Rep. Kevin McCarthy for House speaker, nominated former President Donald Trump in the 11th round of voting Thursday night.

There’s no rule that the speaker is a House member. Members can vote for anyone, and they can protest by skipping the vote or voting “present.”

“I have heard from my colleagues about all the important work we have to do, and it is my sincere fear that if we were to allow Mr. McCarthy to assume the speakership, that would not get done — that it would be business as usual and the very same things that have paralyzed progress for both parties would continue to shackle us to never-ending failure,” Gaetz said.

Gaetz voted for Trump during the seventh and eighth ballots earlier today.

The House pushes on with its effort to elect a new speaker — nominating Rep. Kevin McCarthy for an 11th round of voting.

It is the fifth ballot today, over the course of the last three days.

McCarthy was nominated by Rep. French Hill.

The Republican lawmaker reflected on how difficult the job of House speaker is, saying it “takes a special personality” with a great amount of “humility and patience.”

“I can say, without hesitation, that Kevin has brought these foundational traits of leadership to bear for the good of this institution and for the good of the American people,” Hill said.

Kevin McCarthy was defeated again in the historic tenth round of voting for House speaker after he lost multiple votes to Reps. Byron Donalds and Kevin Hern.

This is now the longest speaker contest in 164 years.

McCarthy still had 20 total GOP lawmakers voting against him and GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz voted present again. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had the unanimous support of his caucus.

The final tally was:

Cheryl Johnson, the House clerk who has presided over the contentious votes taking place this week during the speakership elections, is no stranger to turbulent times in the House of Representatives.

Already, in the nearly four years in which she has held the job, she has been present for two impeachment hearings as well as the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Her typical duties include preparing and delivering messages to the US Senate, receiving messages from the US president and the Senate when the House is not in session, and certifying the passage of all bills and resolutions by the chamber.

Johnson was first sworn in as the 36th House Clerk by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Feb. 25, 2019, and again on Jan. 3, 2021. Along with the House Sergeant at Arms, she led House impeachment managers as they walked over articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the US Senate in 2020 and 2021.

Since John Beckley was elected as the first House clerk on April 1, 1789, Johnson is one of only four women to hold the title and the second Black person in the role.

Read more.

GOP Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas said Republicans have had a “breakthrough” in negotiations that are set to possibly take place Thursday night. The proposed deal would help “reduce” the number of lawmakers who are voting against McCarthy, he told CNN Thursday.

McCarthy has already failed to reach a majority of the vote for 10 straight rounds of voting that have taken place over the last three days.

“It’s my understanding that several votes will come by agreement with the deal that evidently has been arranged this afternoon. It started last night, it just took a while to materialize,” Sessions said. “There is some progress and headway — and that’s essentially what it’s going to take. Groups of people that will then come to some agreement.”

He said the process has been “longer than what we would have wanted,” saying that the fact that debate is happening in such a public setting makes it more difficult.

“I think getting three or four, five more people will be progress,” he said, but added that a group of around seven or eight lawmakers will “never yield” to McCarthy. Sessions hopes, though, that if some of the hardliners take a deal, that could influence others.

Lawmakers are already starting to consider the negotiations: Rep. Ralph Norman, one of those key holdouts, says there’s an offer “on paper” and he has been invited to come look at it. He walked into the whip’s office to review it.

CNN’s Melanie Zanona contributed reporting to this report.

Hear Rep. Pete Sessions:

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05:06 - Source: cnn

Rep. Kevin McCarthy appears to suffer a historic defeat in the 10th ballot for House speaker as more than five Republicans opposed his bid.

The current bid for House leadership is now the longest speaker contest in 164 years.

A group of hardline Republicans have so far derailed McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker — even after McCarthy reportedly proposed major concessions late Wednesday.

No member of Congress can be sworn in until a House Speaker is elected.

Why CNN says “appears to” suffer a defeat before the gavel goes down: Members-elect have the ability to change their votes before the vote is gaveled over. CNN is following along and tallying the voice votes as they happen, but it’s important to be clear that anything could technically change before the vote ends. 

Negotiators between the Kevin McCarthy allies and opponents are pushing for a deal tonight in attempt to show progress, according to a source in talks.

They believe they have made significant progress, but they are still haggling over some of the details. 

This is what is complicating matters: At least four Republican members are leaving town Friday because of various family issues. 

So the hope is that they can have some sort of agreement tonight and then can have a deal to adjourn at some point over the next 24 hours and come back Monday, a separate source says.

We can’t call it the longest House speaker contest in 100 years anymore. Now that we’re through nine ballots, tying the 1923 process, it’s the longest contest in 164 years, since the Congress during which states began seceding from the Union to kick off the Civil War.

It will take a long time to break any more records. The 1859 speaker contest went to 44 ballots before Rep. William Pennington, a Republican from New Jersey, won the post. An anomaly, Pennington only served in one Congress, the one where he was speaker, and lost a bid for reelection. He’s one of just three speakers to be thrown out of office by voters.

The US House of 1859 was a very different place. Pennington’s Republicans had the most members, with 116. But they did not have a majority of the 238 total members. There were also 83 Democrats, 19 Opposition Party members, eight Anti-Lecompton Democrats, seven Independent Democrats and five members of the American Party.

In the following Congress, which started in 1861, after Southern states seceded, House membership went down from 238 to 183 and Republicans had a very strong majority.

Here’s how this House speaker vote compares to those of the past:

GOP Reps. Byron Donalds and Kevin Hern and Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries were nominated for House speaker in the 10th round of voting, along with Kevin McCarthy.

In Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s speech nominating Donalds, she said that “Byron through this entire time has done something I think most leaders should do more of, and that is listen. Respect people when they’re talking. Understand the needs of the American people. Be willing to take negotiations but also too to realize when is a proper time to stand your ground on certain things.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert again threw Hern’s name into the ring, calling him “a true leader” who can unify the conference.

Jeffries was again put forward on the Democratic side by Rep. Pete Aguilar.

Democrats are telling their members to prepare for a potentially long night, per a senior Democratic aide. 

CNN’s Lauren Fox contributed reporting to this post.

The House is now voting to elect a speaker — for the tenth time. This tenth round makes this the longest speaker contest in 164 years.

Aside from Kevin McCarthy, Reps. Byron Donalds and Kevin Hern have also been nominated again in this round.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has now been nominated in the 10th round of voting as the House works to break a stalemate and elect a new speaker. He was nominated by Rep.-elect Juan Ciscomani.

Ciscomani said McCarthy “cares about the American people. He cares about our country.”

“That has been laid out in his commitment to America. To fight for an economy that is strong, a nation that is safe, a future that is built on freedom, and a government that is accountable. This I can strongly get behind,” he said.

Ciscomani talked about his family coming to the United States from Mexico, saying, “I trust Kevin to fight for that American dream.”

Ciscomani will be the first Latino Republican elected to Congress from Arizona. Ciscomani previously worked at the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and was a senior adviser to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

Ongoing stalemate: McCarthy has come up short for the last nine ballots, despite making more concessions to hardliners. Two other Republicans — Rep. Byron Donalds and Rep. Kevin Hern — were also nominated during the last vote in opposition to McCarthy.

Kevin McCarthy was defeated again in the ninth round of voting for House speaker after he lost multiple votes to Reps. Byron Donalds and Kevin Hern. A tenth round would be the longest speaker contest in 164 years.

McCarthy still had 20 total GOP lawmakers voting against him, and GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz voted present again. Rep. Ken Buck, who has supported McCarthy, did not vote this round. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had the unanimous support of his caucus.

The final tally was:

Remember: No member of the new Congress can be sworn in to office without a speaker of the House voted in. A group of hardline Republicans have so far derailed McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker — even after McCarthy reportedly proposed major concessions late Wednesday.

GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a Kevin McCarthy supporter, told CNN that the speaker vote process could go on “for a long time.”

“These folks do not know how to get to yes. They’ve been offered every concession, or met every concession. They just don’t know how to get to yes. It’s an embarrassment to them, our party, the House and our country. I think there is totalitarian states out there, look at those 20 and say this is why we don’t want democracy. That’s an embarrassment. … We’re going to be doing this for a long time,” he said.

He said he just came out of a meeting with 80 to 90 members who he called “Main Street Republicans.”

“We said if you’re not committed to do this to the very end, go ahead and just leave. … But every single one said we’re here until the very end. We cannot allow 20 people to hold us hostage, act as political terrorists. … There is a large group that are in this until the end. And I believe that Kevin McCarthy is not going to back down,” Bacon added.

Bacon also predicted that the group of about 20 who oppose McCarthy will get smaller, and he said that Republicans may work with Democrats on the process.

“We need to consider at some point how we’re going to work across the aisle if this small group will not cooperate. There is some concessions that the other side will want and there may be some grounds that we can provide a more bipartisan structure this this House and eventually get to 218,” he said.

House Republicans’ failure to elect a speaker after days of voting has frozen business in the chamber. Here’s a list of what’s stalled as the stalemate continues:

No oversight: “The Biden administration is going unchecked and there is no oversight of the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, or the intelligence community. We cannot let personal politics place the safety and security of the United States at risk,” the incoming chairs of several committees, including foreign affairs and armed services, said in a statement released on Thursday morning.

No clearance for sensitive and classified information: GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher said he was denied from entering a meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff because he was informed by House security that he doesn’t yet have a clearance.

GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said: “I sit on the House Intelligence Committee. We oversee all 19 intelligence agencies. We are currently offline.”

No House rules: Every new Congress must pass a new set of House rules, so without a speaker to oversee adoption of those rules, none will technically exist.

No payment for staff: Without an approved House Rules package by the end of business on Jan. 13, committees also won’t be able to pay staff, according to a letter sent last week by the committee in charge of administrative matters, which was first reported by Politico and obtained by CNN. The same memo warned that student loan payments for committee staff wouldn’t be disbursed if a rules package isn’t adopted by mid-January.

But members-elect will get paid: Per precedents of the chamber, the pay period for members-elect still starts on Jan. 3, even if the first session of Congress begins after that date, as long as their credentials have been filed with the House clerk.

No legislating: For committees whose chairs aren’t known, they will be headed up in the interim by the committee’s senior-most Republican who also served on the panel in the last Congress, according to the letter sent last week. But there will be no legislating to amend and approve bills before they make their way to the floor for a vote. That means Republicans may also have to wait before tackling some of their priorities, including investigations into President Joe Biden’s administration and family.

CNN’s Zachary B. Wolf, Ali Zaslav, Ted Barrett, Melanie Zanona, Lauren Fox, Clare Foran, Manu Raju, Morgan Rimmer, Andrea Cambron, Shawna Mizelle and Kaanita Iyer contributed reporting to this post.

GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry, leaving the ongoing meeting in Rep. Tom Emmer’s office, told reporters that these talks over the House speakership are “the most hopeful set of conversations we’ve had in weeks.” 

“I think we have the right contours that enable us to get Kevin McCarthy to have a majority vote,” he said. “And that’s assurances on the structure of how we’re going to deal with each other, how we’re going to enable sound public policy, and the type of public policy that’ll be the front and center for this Congress.” 

Asked how many more ballots it could take to get there, McHenry shrugged. Pressed on the possibility of adjourning after this vote, he replied “it’s still in process. We still have miles to go.” 

He also noted, “I think this is us making clear our purpose for this Congress and how we’re going to do it. In that way, it’s clarifying what our intent is, and that enables trust where some have had trust issues.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy appears to again suffer defeat in the ninth round of voting for House speaker as more than five Republicans opposed his bid.

A tenth round of voting would be the longest speaker contest in 164 years.

A group of hardline Republicans have so far derailed McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker — even after McCarthy reportedly proposed major concessions late Wednesday.

Why CNN says “appears to” suffer a defeat before the gavel goes down: Members-elect have the ability to change their votes before the vote is gaveled over. CNN is following along and tallying the voice votes as they happen, but it’s important to be clear that anything could technically change before the vote ends. 

The House is now voting on a ninth ballot for speaker. This ties the number of rounds needed to elect a speaker in 1923.

Aside from Rep. Kevin McCarthy, two other Republicans have also been nominated: Rep. Byron Donalds and Rep. Kevin Hern.

Democrats nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

McCarthy has failed to reach the majority needed to win the speakership on eight ballots.

Despite concessions from McCarthy to hardliners, a group of 20 GOP lawmakers are not voting for the top Republican.

CNN’s Annie Grayer, Clare Foran and Kristin Wilson contributed reporting to this post.

GOP Rep. Kevin Hern has been nominated for House speaker by Rep. Lauren Boebert.

She said “McCarthy does not have the votes,” she said, saying that Republicans need to start evaluating what to do next.

Hern is the head of the Republican Study Committee and received two votes during the eighth round of voting.

“I want to get to work, too. America is tired of rhetoric, and they want results,” she added.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy met with a group of members today to discuss the concessions. He told the members that there isn’t much of a difference in allowing for just one member to call for a vote to oust a speaker since he had already agreed to reduce it to a five-vote threshold, according to Rep. Don Bacon.

Bacon also said he spoke with McCarthy staff about the promises to include members of the Freedom Caucus on the powerful House Rules Committee. He said he wasn’t worried about it because they assured him there would be enough other GOP members on the panel to offset their influence.

Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale nominated Rep. Byron Donalds in the speakership bid, as the ninth round of voting is set to begin.

Rosendale noted that “we have had more discussions and debate over the last three days than I have participated in on this floor for the last two years.”

“We need to have change. We need to fix this broken system,” he added in a lengthy speech.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has just been nominated for a ninth round of voting in his quest for House speakership. He was nominated by Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas.

In his pitch to fellow Republicans, Nehls said McCarthy “understands he must protect that speaker’s gavel and abide the will of the American people. The decisions we make in the 118th Congress are critical to the future of our country.”

“Let’s do what’s in the best interest of the American people. Let’s get to work. Let’s elect Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House,” Nehls added.

Though negotiations have been happening on the House floor in between votes and in closed-door talks, McCarthy said he will continue to face opposition until he reaches a deal with his detractors. 

Rep. Kevin McCarthy was defeated for an eighth time in his bid for speakership after multiple Republicans voted for Florida Rep. Byron Donalds.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had the unanimous support of his caucus.

No member of the new Congress can be sworn in to office without a Speaker of the House voted in.

Here’s a look at the vote tally:

Another example of how not swearing in a speaker practically implicates the business of the House —GOP Rep. Don Bacon tweeted how not electing a speaker is preventing work from happening.

“My office was informed by an agency today that they cannot communicate with my staff regarding active casework because we are not yet sworn in! The handful holding up the speaker election is not helping Americans but directly hurting them. @GOPLeader,” Bacon tweeted.

New members of Congress cannot be sworn in until a speaker is elected.

Former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says that the stalemate over speaker shows that “the Republican Party continues to be a deeply divided party.”

He added, “With some very willful members who would rather obstruct than create or be constructive.”

On the rules changes being proposed, he added, “They are designed by the promoters of those changes to prevent the House from acting in a constructive, positive, effective way.”

A normally restrained and reliably conservative member of Congress from a red state summed up the predicament to CNN as: “We’re frustrated as hell.”

The member continued, “This should not be mistaken for overwhelming love for Kevin, but we can’t cave into demands from people who have no interest in governing or any clue how to do it.”

This Republican, who is supporting McCarthy but losing patience, said that with each passing ballot, it becomes even more difficult for an alternative to successfully emerge.

A Republican donor and longtime friend of McCarthy, who is watching this drama unfold from the West Coast, offered a similar sentiment, telling CNN: “It’s ironic McCarthy is still standing — not because of any great love for him, but because of burning hatred for [Rep. Matt] Gaetz and his gang.”  

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday that concerns about the national security impact of the House speaker impasse will only become more heightened as it drags on.

“The first few days of any congressional term usually is spent on procedural elements like this,” Price said at a department briefing Thursday. “But of course, if this continues on, there will be additional concerns. I’m sure we will hear additional concerns from the Hill.”

“The Hill has indispensable functions – an oversight role, an appropriations role, an authorization role. We want to hear their voice in our foreign policy. We want to ensure that our foreign policy has bipartisan support wherever we can. We want to ensure that in the formulation of our policy we’re taking into account the prerogatives and the perspectives of members of both chambers of Congress. It is much more difficult to do that when there is not a seated House of Representatives,” he said. 

Price noted that “the process is playing out” and said he expected “that at some point before too long, the process will conclude.”

Effects on national security: At a minimum, House members are not staying informed of day-to-day national security developments because they cannot receive a security clearance until they are sworn in. But at its most extreme, the impasse also means that the current Congress is not in a position to either authorize or stop a war, staffers and experts told CNN.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said he is concerned about the national security implications.

“It’s bad. It’s really bad,” Fitzpatrick said. “I don’t have access to the SCIF right now, because I’m not sworn in. I can’t get my China briefing, my Ukraine briefing, my Iran briefing.”

Not only are those members barred from briefings, the key national security committees they would normally sit on cannot even be formed yet – including the House Intelligence and Armed Services committees, which oversee the intelligence community and the Pentagon, respectively.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 08: The exterior of the U.S. Capitol building is seen at sunrise on February 8, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Senate is scheduled to begin the second impeachment trial of former U.S. President Donald J. Trump on February 9. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Related article How the speaker impasse is impacting US national security | CNN Politics

Not even giving in to GOP hardliners on their “motion to vacate the chair” demand can get Rep. Kevin McCarthy the votes to become House speaker — at least not yet.

He seemed to agree Wednesday night to a main sticking point for some of the GOP hardliners — restoring an individual member’s ability to force a vote on removing a House speaker. But in a vote Thursday afternoon, McCarthy still came up short.

There’s reason for McCarthy to fear the “motion to vacate the chair.”

The tactic was used by the House Freedom Caucus to frustrate and push out former House Speaker John Boehner.

Democrats, under former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, changed the rules to make it more difficult to force a vote on vacating the chair. The Pelosi rules require a majority of either party to sign on before a vote can be taken. 

Now, GOP hardliners want a single member to be able to force a vote. Sensing it would be used to gum up the work of the House by the House Freedom Caucus, McCarthy had heretofore opposed changing the rules back, although he has now relented on that.

Why not just let a single member force a vote? Here’s Rep. Dan Crenshaw, the Texas Republican, as quoted in a previous CNN story on the subject: “There’s a reason [the motion to vacate] already got debated. You can’t govern with a gun to your head and that is what they are asking for. It makes us highly unstable, and it lays out the potential too for Democrats to take advantage of this and create absolute chaos.” 

A lot of this is theoretical. A motion to vacate hasn’t actually been tried since 1910 — and even then it was unsuccessful. The threat of a motion to vacate the chair did lead to Boehner’s resignation in 2015.

The lack of literature on how exactly it would play out is telling. It’s a rarely used and not-very-effective tool, but in the hands of these all-or-nothing hardliners, could lead to some frustrating moments for whoever becomes speaker.

GOP Rep. Scott Perry, who is opposing Rep. Kevin McCarthy for House speaker, said he will keep voting for Rep. Byron Donalds.

Asked if he would vote to adjourn at some point, he said, “I’m not going to discuss my votes,” other than for Donalds. 

As he went back into Rep. Tom Emmer’s office, Perry was asked if they could get to a deal today. He replied, “We’re not even really talking about a deal.”

Unlike Rep. Jim Jordan, who vehemently was publicly opposed to being speaker, a source close to Rep. Kevin Hern told CNN me that he wouldn’t be opposed to being speaker if McCarthy couldn’t get the votes. 

“If McCarthy can’t get the votes, Hern won’t turn down a challenge. People his entire life have been telling him he can’t do something and look where he is now,” the source said.

Hern, who is the head of the Republican Study Committee, has received a couple of anti-McCarthy protest votes in the eighth round of voting, but it unclear if he, or anyone, could earn a winning number of votes. 

Thursday’s speakership votes have so far gone the same way as the votes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is still struggling to find the support he needs to secure the speaker job.

Here are some of the scenes today from the standoff, both on the House floor and outside the chamber. For a full look at the week so far, check out this photo gallery of the stalemate.

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy was defiant in the face of the stiff headwinds he is facing for his speakership bid, saying that he will continue to face opposition until he reaches a deal with his detractors. 

Asked why it’s been so hard for him, McCarthy said: “I think it’s great. If you think it’s so hard, when it comes, I want to see what you write.”

Asked by CNN at what point will he make a realization that the outcome won’t change, McCarthy said: “After I win.”

Some members are voting for Rep. Kevin Hern, chair of the Republican Study Committee.

He supports Rep. Kevin McCarthy but CNN has heard his name is picking up steam among conservatives.

It is unclear if he, or anyone, could earn a winning number of votes this round.

Members also recognize that no serious alternative is going to get into the race — or even make any behind the scenes moves to start mounting support for a bid — as long as McCarthy is still in it. 

GOP leader Kevin McCarthy appears to again suffer defeat in the eighth round of voting for House speaker as more than five Republicans opposed his nomination.

A group of hardline Republicans have so far derailed his bid to become House speaker — even after McCarthy reportedly proposed major concessions late Wednesday.

Why CNN says “appears to” suffer a defeat before the gavel goes down: Members-elect have the ability to change their votes before the vote is gaveled over. CNN is following along and tallying the voice votes as they happen, but it’s important to be clear that anything could technically change before the vote ends. 

GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz, who voted for Rep. Kevin McCarthy initially but changed to vote present on Wednesday, said she voted present on the seventh ballot because the talks with the McCarthy opponents have not made progress. 

She said he needs to “move the needle” first.

More background: A majority of those present and voting is required to get the speakership, which is usually 218 lawmakers. But if enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was elected with 216 votes in 2021.

House lawmakers are now voting to elect a speaker for the eighth time. Republicans have nominated Rep. Kevin McCarthy, as well as Rep. Byron Donalds in opposition to McCarthy.

Democrats again nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries who they have stood united around across all votes.

McCarthy has failed to reach the majority needed to win the speakership on seven ballots.

In the last round of voting, the same group of Republicans still did not vote for McCarthy — 19 of them voted for Rep. Byron Donalds and Rep. Matt Gaetz voted for former President Donald Trump. One lawmaker voted present.

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of the Rep. Kevin McCarthy holdouts, briefly spoke with reporters outside the House chamber, telling CNN that the vote for speakership can end in two ways.

The comments come as McCarthy has failed a seventh bid for speaker. Gaetz cast his vote in the seventh round for former President Donald Trump. 

Texas Republican Rep. Troy Nehls, a member of the House Freedom Caucus who backs Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker, said that “it’s just gotta to be personal” for the 20 holdouts to still be against the Republican leader.

“But at some point in time, you have to ask yourself, OK, when can the 20 say to themselves, OK, I have a checkered flag now. I feel like I have won. Both sides have to win here,” he said.

Despite making key concessions to get the top job, McCarthy has been unable to get a group of 20 Republicans to vote for him.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is back on the ballot for House speaker for an eighth time. He was nominated by Rep. Brian Mast of Florida. Voting continues Thursday, the third day with no leader elected.

Mast said that when discussion began about who would be House speaker months ago behind closed doors, he urged McCarthy to see member’s votes as a signal to their communities that they vouch for the Republican leader.

“Look at us as individuals that are looking out to our communities, our neighborhoods, our friends, our neighbors, and our country and telling them that we vouch for you, because that is what we are doing,” Mast said.

“And I couldn’t be more proud to stand here today and vouch for you my friend,” he added.

Republicans have been in a stalemate, even after closed-door negotiations Wednesday night into Thursday morning — talks in which McCarthy has reportedly given more concessions and said lawmakers are “making progress.”

Still, in the last round of voting, McCarthy did not get enough votes to win the speakership.

GOP leader Kevin McCarthy failed to clinch the votes for speaker on the seventh ballot.

He still had 20 total GOP lawmakers voting against him, except this time GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz voted for former President Donald Trump, while the other 19 voted for GOP Rep. Byron Donalds. GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz voted present again.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had the unanimous support of his caucus.

The final tally was:

No member of the new Congress can be sworn in to office without a Speaker of the House voted in.

Here’s a look how this round of House speaker ballots compares to those of the past:

While Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s allies are willing to swallow most of the concessions being made in the Republican leader’s quest for speaker, they are drawing a line in the sand over one issue: committee gavels for the holdouts.  

Committee and subcommittee gavels have been part of the ongoing negotiations, sources tell CNN.

But two Republicans, who both serve on the panel responsible for awarding committee assignments and gavels, predicted that the conference would reject that sort of deal — not only because there’s so much resentment toward these holdouts, but also because it would be unfair to jump someone else in line for a coveted gavel.    

The GOP Steering Committee, which includes members of the leadership, elects committee chairs and panel assignments. The speaker’s vote in those decisions counts for more weight than others on the panel.  

After steering makes its selection, the full conference must approve it. Traditionally, the conference accepts whatever steering decides. But these two Republicans predicted there would be rare push back if McCarthy advocated for one of the critics to get a chairmanship. 

As CNN previously reported, Rep. Matt Gaetz demanded a subcommittee gavel on the House Armed Services Committee. McCarthy rejected that — Gaetz is “Never Kevin” anyway — but there are other gavels in the mix.

While leaving a pivotal meeting in GOP Rep. Tom Emmer’s office, Rep. Chip Roy refused to say if he’s willing to back Kevin McCarthy — as did Rep. Byron Donalds and others.

Donalds would not say if he would eventually drop out.

Rep. Scott Perry said he needed more changes.

“But none of these changes would be on the table if the slim majority didnt exist so we have to take this opportunity to make the changes necessary to make Congress work for the American people,” Perry said. 

The meeting is ongoing.

Perry also tweeted and told Fox News that there is still no deal.

“There is no agreement whatsoever and it’s disappointing that confidences are betrayed about the details of internal meetings, and it exemplifies Washington, DC, and the trust factor that is causing the impasse that is occurring right before your eyes,” Perry said.

“There’s a trust issue with the gentleman who wants to be speaker,” Perry said, adding “it is hard to restore trust in just a month or two” and “there is no agreement at this time.”

When asked about alternative candidates, Perry said, “whoever can get 218. If Kevin McCarthy will embrace these changes, I suspect he will get to 218 but if he will not, then he can’t.”

Perry said “it would be unfaithful of me” to discuss ongoing negotiations when asked about details of the dealmaking. 

“We don’t want our speaker to be working with Democrats,” Perry replied when asked about Democratic Rep.-elect Brad Sherman’s claim that moderate Republicans would have to work with Democrats to govern, continuing “as long as our speaker is true to what we believe in as Republicans across the board, we’re going to be in fine shape.” He described a Republican speaker seeking Democratic votes on issues such as government funding would be an “act of combat.”

A moderate House GOP lawmaker told CNN about the “increasing frustration” among centrists at the number of concessions unfolding as the House speaker stalemate continues.

“Centrists growing increasingly frustrated at bending the knee to a handful who never wanted to be in the majority in the first place,” this lawmaker said.

Asked if the moderates/centrists can stomach this rules package if Kevin McCarthy gets his wish, the lawmaker said, “Depends what else is in it. I think as it is now, it’ll pass. But … if they get a single gavel as part of whatever deal is struck, it will all unravel.”

Rep. Byron Donalds from Florida was once again nominated for House speaker as the floor fight over the gavel continues Thursday.

Donalds voted for McCarthy on the first two ballots, but broke from the majority of his colleagues to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on the third ballot with conservative hardliners.

“Right now, he doesn’t have a pathway to get there,” Donalds told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins after voting against McCarthy Tuesday. “If that reemerges, yeah, I can be there, that’s fine, but what’s necessary now is that Republicans come together and find a way to elect a speaker.”

Donalds is serving his second term, winning his first election in 2020 after GOP Rep. Francis Rooney vacated Florida’s 19th Congressional District seat, and his second in 2022 in a landslide victory.

During his first campaign, Donalds described himself in a political ad as a “Trump-supporting, gun-owning, liberty-loving, pro-life, politically incorrect Black man.”

In the same political ad, Donalds describes being arrested as a young man for drug possession and deciding to get his life together “through the grace of God.”

Donalds was raised in Brooklyn, New York, by a “single mom with three kids, two jobs and not much else,” he said. “Thanks to my mom and her influence, what could have been the end of my road was just the beginning.”

Both Reps. Chip Roy and Scott Perry, who nominated Donalds on the sixth ballot, referred to Donalds overcoming “adversity” and “humble beginnings” to get to the House floor, mentioning his upbringing.

The Florida State University graduate worked in the banking, finance and insurance industries before being elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016, according to his office.

Donalds, 44, lives in Naples, Florida, with his wife and three sons.

When GOP Rep. Dan Bishop rose to nominate Rep. Byron Donalds ahead of the seventh round, he called out Democratic Rep. Cori Bush, though he did not name her explicitly, for a tweet she sent yesterday saying that Donalds is a “prop.”

“I’ve spent a good bit of time with Mr. Donalds, especially lately — he ain’t no prop,” Bishop said.

Bush tweeted Wednesday: “FWIW, @ByronDonalds is not a historic candidate for Speaker. He is a prop. Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy. His name being in the mix is not progress—it’s pathetic.” 

Donalds responded: “FWIW, nobody asked @CoriBush her opinion on the matter. Before you judge my agenda, let’s have a debate over the policies and the outcomes. Until then, don’t be a crab in a barrel!”

Rep. Matt Gaetz voted for former President Donald Trump in the speakership election.

There’s no rule that the speaker is a House member. Members can vote for anyone, and they can protest by skipping the vote or voting “present.” 

Gaetz has been one of the Republican lawmakers who have not voted for party leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

GOP leader Kevin McCarthy appears to have suffered defeat for the House speakership for a seventh time.

McCarthy can only afford to lose four Republican votes with the party’s narrow majority.

In the last few rounds of votes, a group of 20 Republicans have opposed his bid for speakership.

Why CNN says “appears to” suffer a defeat before the gavel goes down: Members-elect have the ability to change their votes before the vote is gaveled over. CNN is following along and tallying the voice votes as they happen, but it’s important to be clear that anything could technically change before the vote ends. 

The House is now voting for a seventh time in an effort to elect a speaker.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, even with the support of most of his party, has failed to reach a majority needed to win the speakership.

President Joe Biden indicated he is still closely monitoring the House speaker’s race as a third day of voting kicked off Thursday.  

“I’m following it with great… how can I say it?” Biden said in response to a question from CNN’s Jeremy Diamond. 

“Attention,” Vice President Kamala Harris abruptly concluded.

The president and vice president then exited the Roosevelt Room. 

Those comments come after Biden harshly criticized House Republicans on Wednesday, saying thrice that the dramatic situation was “embarrassing” and invoking the events of Jan. 6 as he warned the world is watching.

GOP Rep. Dan Bishop rose in the chamber to nominate Rep. Byron Donalds again for speaker.

“Yesterday, we could have elected the first Black speaker of the United States House of Representatives,” Bishop claimed in his speech. Democrats on the other side then started clapping and chanting “Hakeem” for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

“Last night, I sat within feet of Mr. Donalds as the tweet of another member-elect appeared on the screen. That member-elect wrote and sent out to America that Byron Donalds is a prop. I’ve spent a good bit of time with Mr. Donalds. Especially lately. He ain’t no prop,” he said to applause, in reference to a tweet from Democratic Rep. Cori Bush.

Embattled House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy would not say if he has the votes to be elected speaker but said they are having constructive talks.

“We are gonna go in here and have votes and nothing is going to change. What we are doing is having really good progress and conversations … and everybody in the conversation wants to be part of the the solution,” he said. 

Asked if he is concerned that he could be a short-lived speaker because of the concessions he’s made to give one member the power to call for a vote seeking a speaker’s ouster, McCarthy said, “No, not at all.”

Democrats are still united around Rep. Hakeem Jeffries — nominating him for the seventh ballot as the stalemate to elect a speaker continues. All 212 House Democrats have voted for Jeffries on every ballot so far.

“As we begin a new Congress we need a leader who believe in strengthening democracy,” he said, touting Jeffries’ work on voting rights among other things.

The standoff in the House will go for another round of voting as Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy is nominated for a seventh ballot. He was nominated by Rep.-elect John James of Michigan. The House is back after adjourning Wednesday evening.

James made a plea for unity in his nomination speech, saying, the “issues that divide us today are much less severe that they were in 1856 in fact there’s far more that unite us, than divide us, regardless of our political party of ideology.”

“The issues today are over a few rules and personalities. While the issues at that time were about slavery and whether the value of a man who looks like me was 60% or 100% of a human being,” James said.

McCarthy has failed to reach a majority in six rounds of voting over the course of two days.

A group of 20 Republicans opposing McCarthy have voted for Rep. Byron Donalds during the fourth, fifth and sixth ballot rounds.

GOP Rep. Ralph Norman told CNN that he will vote for Byron Donalds again in the seventh ballot for speaker.

Rep. Andy Biggs also says he is still “never Kevin” and won’t vote present, just another sign GOP leader McCarthy almost certainly won’t have the number of votes needed again. 

Rep. Andrew Clyde told CNN “my vote has not changed” but would not elaborate who specifically he would be voting for, saying “you will see how I vote on the floor.” Clyde has voted against McCarthy on every ballot so far.

The House is reconvening as Kevin McCarthy faces growing pressure to end the impasse over his imperiled speakership bid after two consecutive days of failed votes.

But even after proposing major concessions to his hardline opponents late Wednesday, it remains unclear if the California Republican will be able to lock in the 218 votes he needs to win the gavel, and patience is wearing thin among lawmakers as the fight drags on.

It’s unclear if a seventh vote on McCarthy’s speakership will happen then or if Republicans will move to adjourn.

McCarthy is leery of having additional votes that show 20 members are opposed to him and he wants to demonstrate some forward momentum, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy left a meeting with his allies confident he will get to 218, though he wouldn’t predict when that would happen. 

“I don’t pick the day. I’m confident we’ll get to the solution, otherwise we won’t be successful,” he said. 

“I think we’re having good discussions and I think everybody wants to find a solution. The good thing about is we work this all out at the beginning so the rest of the Congress will be very productive,” he said.

“I just feel in these meetings the attitude of everyone is they want to find a solution that’s positive,” McCarthy said.  

A GOP source tells CNN they don’t think they have the votes to adjourn right away, so they’ll go to the seventh ballot when the House reconvenes at noon ET. Then possibly an eighth round before adjournment. 

It is still unclear how many of the 20 GOP hardliner members Rep. Kevin McCarthy has peeled back. 

It’s a huge moment for McCarthy who needs to show progress.

Rep. Bob Good, a Republican from Virginia, said he will never vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy after emerging from speaker negotiations with other GOP hardliners following McCarthy offering major concessions. 

“You don’t ever have to ask me again if I’m a no on Kevin McCarthy. I will never vote for Kevin McCarthy,” Good told reporters as he left the meeting. 

Other members in the meeting included Reps. Lauren Boebert, Matt Rosendale, Josh Brecheen, Dan Bishop, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Byron Donalds and Chip Roy. 

“I’d ask the American people to give us time,” Brecheen told reporters. 

Several other members would not answer CNN’s questions as they left the meeting. 

The meeting with GOP hardliners comes as the House entered its third day of trying to elect a Republican leader. McCarthy has failed six times to win enough votes to become speaker. 

Rep. Kevin McCarthy walked into a meeting of Republicans in the House dining room moment ago, still confident he’ll get the votes for speaker. 

Today will be “the same until we finish everything out,” he added. “Whenever you negotiate different things, nothing’s agreed to until everything’s agreed to. I wouldn’t read anything into votes today.”

Earlier Rep. Don Bacon characterized the dining room meeting as “allies of Kevin.” 

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has been meeting with his allies on Capitol Hill and his opponents have been meeting off campus this morning as House Republicans continue to try to chart a path forward.

“I think things are moving in the right direction” Rep. Dusty Johnson said leaving the McCarthy meeting. “Nothing’s going to come together quickly, but I think we’re clearly making progress.”

While he admitted that there is some “irritation” with the new round of concessions, he also acknowledged that it’s the way to “get to yes” with a five-vote majority and a diverse set of views within the conference.

“I mean, either we’re going to figure out how to work together in month one, or else we’re going to have to replay this Greek tragedy every single week” Johnson added.

GOP Rep. Pat Fallon, a McCarthy backer, told CNN that the entire conference should support their nominee for speaker, “otherwise, you get what? This. This dumb crap, which is chaos, and we don’t want that.”

“The longer it goes, it’s just not good for anybody,” he added. 

GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who co-chairs the bipartisan problem solvers caucus, told reporters after meeting with McCarthy that he believes the House should not vote again for speaker until a new rules package is finalized and members have 72 hours to review it. He said he doesn’t believe the votes will change until the rules package is finalized.

“I don’t think it makes any sense to keep going and doing these round robins on the floor,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that he is worried about an emergency occurring before the House is organized, and reiterated that as a member of the Intelligence Committee, he can’t even get into meetings. “It’s a huge problem.”

CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju contributed reporting to this post.

Rep. Ken Buck, who has supported embattled House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy through six ballots, is offering a blunt warning to the GOP leader: Show progress on the next vote or step aside.

Buck has stuck behind McCarthy — for now — but he says that if he can’t win back any of the 20 Republicans who oppose him, then he should drop out. 

“If there’s a deal and you know, 10 of the 20 move, I think that people stay with him. If there’s no deal and we have another vote of 20, I think people are going to start (defecting),” he told CNN. “Including me.”

Buck added: “There is a point in time that Kevin is going to lose credibility because he can’t make this deal,” Buck said. “And I’m not blaming Kevin, don’t misunderstand. I think Kevin has acted in good faith, as the other side has. But if he can’t reach a deal, because there are some people who won’t move, then it’s going to be time to (find someone else).”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries was succinct when asked whether House Democrats would start talks with House Republicans to exchange concessions from the GOP in order to help them elect a speaker.

“So the answer is no,” he said. 

Jeffries said they’ll have a conference convene at 11 a.m ET to discuss a way forward, “but I expect that we are going to remain unified, resilient and strong.”

A relic of premodern times, before the internet or even telephones, these votes for speaker of the House can be confusing through 21st century eyes. Here are some answers to questions we’ve been getting about why things look the way they do:

Why does CNN say “appears to” suffer a defeat before the gavel goes down?

Members-elect have the ability to change their votes before the vote is gaveled over. CNN is following along and tallying the voice votes as they happen, but it’s important to be clear that anything could technically change before the vote ends. 

Why can members-elect vote for a speaker?

By law, the 117th US Congress ended on Jan. 3 and the 118th Congress began. However, the rules do not allow the new House to convene until a speaker is chosen.

The speaker is chosen by members-elect before they are sworn in. Then the speaker swears in the members-elect.

Why we could see more “present” votes today?

This is something to watch. The speaker is elected by a majority of the 435-member House, which is normally 218. But “present” votes or absences lower the threshold to reach a majority.

There is already one open seat caused by the death of Virginia Democrat Rep. Donald McEachin. If enough of the 20 hardline Republicans voted “present,” it could enable Rep. Kevin McCarthy to win with fewer than 218 votes. Two “present” votes lower the threshold for a majority by one vote.

However! The trick only works up to this point since the Democratic nominee, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, has had 212 votes. If 11 Republicans voted “present,” Jeffries would become House speaker.

That means McCarthy still needs to flip at least 11 Republicans who have voted against him even if the other nine voted “present.” 

There are also other reasons a member-elect could vote “present.” Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana did it already as a sort of protest of McCarthy. She didn’t want to support the hardliners who are trying to block his speakership, but she did want to signal to McCarthy that he needs to wrap this up or move aside.

Read more about the elections here.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the party affiliation of Rep. Donald McEachin. He was a Democrat.

Kevin McCarthy faces growing pressure to end the impasse over his imperiled speakership bid after two consecutive days of failed votes.

But even after proposing major concessions to his hardline opponents late Wednesday, it remains unclear if the California Republican will be able to lock in the 218 votes he needs to win the gavel, and patience is wearing thin among lawmakers as the fight drags on.

Here’s what is coming up:

Republican holdouts were meeting Thursday morning, said Rep. Warren Davidson, who supports McCarthy.

“I think after that, they’ll talk to Leader McCarthy and hopefully close up a deal,” the Ohio Republican told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “CNN This Morning,” though he conceded that McCarthy “may never make it to 218.”

McCarthy, however, struck an optimistic tone when he arrived on Capitol Hill.

There are some early indications that negotiations have made some headway as McCarthy and his allies attempt to chip away at opposition from a bloc of conservatives.

In a series of new concessions first reported by CNN Wednesday night, McCarthy agreed to propose a rules change that would allow just one member to call for a vote to oust a sitting speaker, according to two sources familiar with the matter. McCarthy had initially proposed a five-member threshold, down from current conference rules that require half of the GOP to call for such a vote.

He also agreed to allow for more members of the Freedom Caucus to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee, which dictates how and whether bills come to the floor, and to vote on a handful of bills that are priorities for the holdouts, including proposing term limits on members and a border security plan.

But Republican sources say that even if McCarthy’s offers are accepted, it would still not get him the 218 votes he needs to be speaker.

Read more here.

The fight over the speakership, which began Tuesday on the first day of the 118th Congress, has thrown the new House GOP majority into chaos and undercut the party’s agenda.

As the fight has stretched out, the situation has grown increasingly dire for McCarthy’s political future as even some of his Republican allies have begun to fear that the House GOP leader may not be able to pull off his gamble for speaker if the fight goes much longer.

McCarthy has so far come up short in six rounds of voting. The final GOP tally for the sixth vote, which took place on Wednesday, was 201 for McCarthy, 20 for Florida Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and one “present” vote.

These are the 20 House Republicans who voted against McCarthy:

Rep. Andy Biggs Rep. Dan Bishop Rep. Lauren Boebert Rep.-elect Josh Brecheen Rep. Michael Cloud Rep. Andrew Clyde Rep.-elect Eli Crane Rep. Byron Donalds Rep. Matt Gaetz Rep. Bob Good Rep. Paul Gosar Rep. Andy Harris Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna Rep. Mary Miller Rep. Ralph Norman Rep.-elect Andy Ogles Rep. Scott Perry Rep. Matt Rosendale Rep. Chip Roy Rep.-elect Keith Self

Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted present for the third consecutive time, making the speakership threshold 217.

Where negotiations stand: There are some early indications that negotiations have made some headway as McCarthy and his allies attempt to chip away at opposition from the bloc of conservatives.

In a series of new concessions first reported by CNN Wednesday night, McCarthy agreed to propose a rules change that would allow just one member to call for a vote to oust a sitting speaker, according to two sources familiar with the matter. McCarthy had initially proposed a five-member threshold, down from current conference rules that require half of the GOP to call for such a vote.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy arrived on Capitol Hill this morning ahead of an expected third day of votes for House speaker. 

When asked by CNN if he has the votes he needs to become speaker today, he said, “we’ll see.” 

He did not respond to a question about whether he had secured any more votes through his concessions. 

Where things stand: The House is set to reconvene on Thursday at 12 p.m. ET. It’s unclear if a seventh vote on McCarthy’s speakership will happen then or if Republicans will move to adjourn.

McCarthy is leery of having additional votes that show 20 members are opposed to him and he wants to demonstrate some forward momentum, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN. 

It’s a very small minority of a slim majority that’s kept the House from moving forward and is on the cusp of derailing Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become speaker.

They don’t speak for the majority of Republicans. The 20 anti-McCarthy Republicans who so far derailed his bid to become House speaker represent less than 10% of the House GOP.

They aren’t the entirety of the Freedom Caucus. The hardliners are less than half the ultraconservative, ultra-MAGA wing of lawmakers.

They’re sort of gaining support. Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana became the 21st Republican member-elect to not support McCarthy on Wednesday, although she voted “present” rather than voting for anyone.

The hardliners also don’t speak with one voice.

“I think you need to break the 20 down,” the conservative Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado told CNN Wednesday. Buck had been viewed as a possible defector before this week, and he made clear that patience with these votes is waning.

He suggested McCarthy’s deputy, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, as a possible consensus speaker who could speak to three varieties of the 20 anti-McCarthy Republicans.

For some, it’s personal. “There are a few of those 20 that just aren’t going to vote for Kevin McCarthy but would vote for somebody else,” Buck said. The key question is whether that block of “never-McCarthy” House Republicans is larger than the four votes McCarthy can afford to lose.

Others want specific changes. “There are some of the others … who want changes in the rules and there are some others who care about policy,” Buck said. “So I think if Steve (Scalise) meets those three needs, he will be able to move forward and take the speakership.”

Some want to shut things down. Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina has said a non-negotiable for him is if McCarthy is “willing to shut the government down rather than raising the debt ceiling.” That suggests the kind of precarious future funding fights will pose to the economy.

These lawmakers want painful cuts now to end deficit spending. If the US was to default on its debt, it could send the US economy into a tailspin, according to most economists. A government shutdown would be less severe, but they have been unpopular when lawmakers forced them in recent years.

Keep reading here.

West Virginia Republican Carol Miller said Thursday she’s displeased with the concessions that Rep. Kevin McCarthy has been forced to make in his speakership bid for 218 votes, including lowering the threshold for a motion to vacate to one.

Miller, who’s backing McCarthy’s bid, said she was not in meetings last night or this morning, but expressed frustration with how the process has played out.

“I don’t like it – he has two years to prove himself, and that goes by very quickly, so I think we just need to get on with the business that the American people have sent us here to do,” Miller told CNN. “And that is to govern. It’s to take care of our border, it’s to get spending under control. It’s to be leaders.”

Still, she expressed the hope that the fight for speaker — which has drawn out for six votes over two days so far — would end today.

After suffering yet another stinging defeat on Wednesday, in which he lost a sixth round of voting for House speaker, Kevin McCarthy proposed more key concessions in his push to get 218 votes – including agreeing to propose a rules change that would allow just one member to call for a vote to oust a sitting speaker, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The major concession comes as McCarthy is struggling to find a path forward with the House adjourned until 12 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The House GOP majority has been stuck at a contentious stalemate amid opposition to McCarthy from a group of conservatives. The fight, which began on the first day of the 118th Congress, has thrown the new House GOP majority into chaos and undercut the party’s agenda.

The House will continue to be paralyzed until this standoff is resolved. The situation has grown dire for McCarthy’s political future as Republican allies are beginning to fear that the House GOP leader may not be able to pull off his gamble for speaker if the fight goes much longer.

It’s not at all clear whether McCarthy and his allies will be able to lock down the votes – and the longer the fight drags on, the more imperiled his speakership bid has become. But there were signs Wednesday that negotiations are progressing.

McCarthy’s latest concession would be a significant win for hardline conservatives – after the California Republican had already proposed a five-member threshold, down from current conference rules that require half of the GOP to call for such a vote. But many more moderate members had been concerned about giving in to the far-right on this matter since it could weaken the speakership and cause chaos in the ranks.

In two more concessions, the sources said, he’s also agreed to allow for more members of the Freedom Caucus to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee, which dictates how and whether bills come to the floor, and to vote on a handful of bills that are priorities for the holdouts, including proposing term limits on members and a border security plan.

Nothing is final, however, since the negotiations are ongoing. And Republican sources say that even if McCarthy’s offer is accepted, it would still not get him the 218 votes he needs to be speaker. While these concessions could attract some new support, other opponents have raised different concerns that have yet to be fully addressed.

Ohio Republican Warren Davidson, who is backing Kevin McCarthy’s embattled bid for House Speaker and nominated McCarthy on the floor Wednesday, acknowledged in an interview with CNN that the window may be closing for the California Republican.

“The reality is, there are some people who, in their estimation, there’s no way they’re going to be able to support Kevin McCarthy,” he said, adding that some others who could be persuaded also “hardened up” to oppose.

“I think the number that will never vote for Kevin McCarthy is more than four,” he added.

Davidson acknowledged that some concessions were made overnight, including lowering the threshold for a motion to vacate and adding members of the House Freedom Caucus to the Rules Committee. It “did make a difference,” he added.

Davidson is also a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

As members meet Thursday morning, they will discuss what items remain on their agenda and whether the concessions move some of them to support McCarthy or if they will remain united to get the remaining items on their list, Davidson explained.

“We’ll see at noon and either we’ll have the votes at noon, which is a tough challenge, or there will be another adjournment and say we have signs for more progress,” he added.

Though he declined to explicitly call for McCarthy to withdraw, he hinted there may be a time to start discussing alternative options. “At some point we have to have a speaker.”

As negotiations continue Thursday morning, embattled GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy is leery of having more voting rounds with 20 members opposed, and wants to show forward momentum, according to a source familiar.

If he can demonstrate that, they may move ahead with a vote on the seventh ballot at noon ET when the House is set to convene.

If he feels like they need more time to talk to demonstrate that, they may seek to adjourn, and will need 218 votes.

House Republicans warn that prolonging selecting a speaker, which therefore delays their swearing-in as members of the new congress hampers their ability to do their jobs, including national security related briefings and oversight. 

House Republicans held a news conference Wednesday where Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, who is on the Armed Services Committee, said he was denied from entering a meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs because he was informed by House Security that he doesn’t have a clearance.

“I’m a member of the House Intel Committee — I’m on the Armed Services committee, and I can’t meet in the SCIF to conduct essential business” Gallagher said.

The SCIF is the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility that is used by military and national security officials to process sensitive and classified information.

Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup said House members are not able to work in their secure facility because they don’t currently have a clearance.

“Right now we can’t be in there at al,” Wenstrup said.

In a tweet thread on Wednesday, House Armed Services Democrats also laid out the risks holding out on naming a Speaker has on national security.

“Kevin McCarthy & the MAGA extremists holding the speakership hostage aren’t just creating chaos for the Republican party. They’ve hampered the ability of Congress to function in its oversight role, presenting a clear threat to national security” HASC Democrats tweeted.

One moderate Republican tells CNN that they aren’t happy about the concessions Kevin McCarthy is making to get the votes for becoming House Speaker, but they are willing to have “discussions.”

The fear, as CNN has reported, is that lowering the threshold for a vote to oust the speaker to one will make governing on items like the debt limit and funding almost impossible.

“I don’t like the rules but am willing to hear discussions. I think they’re a mistake for the conference. These handful of folks want a weak speaker with a four-vote majority. The public will not like what they see of the GOP I fear,” the member said.  

The protracted battle for Speaker of the House is “embarrassing,” Congressman-elect Ryan Zinke told CNN Thursday, blasting “disorganization,” and “dysfunction” within his own Conference.

“I think it’s embarrassing. I do, and there’s a lot of hard feelings on both sides,” Zinke said. “Again, you have 90% of the caucus — 90% of the caucus — standing firmly behind Kevin McCarthy. Is he perfect? No, I don’t, I don’t think anyone is perfect. But how you win battles is you leverage the chairman, you encourage the members, you listen to members and lead forward and articulate.”

The Montana Republican, who’s voted for McCarthy six times — and intends to do so again Thursday — said there have been “several mistakes” from Republicans throughout the process.

“If you have differences, solve the differences internally, don’t ride the flagpole and show, you know, disorganization, dysfunction — not only to America, but the world, because the world is watching this,” he said.

Zinke, who served as Interior Secretary under Donald Trump, admitted that the former President’s backing “did not have influence, because it really didn’t change any votes.”

Still, he said that he believes McCarthy will ultimately win the race for speaker and that the larger question at hand is what Republicans do if and when they coalesce behind a leader.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Wednesday that she was told today there could not be ceremonial swearing-ins without a speaker. 

This morning Pelosi had advocated for some sort of swearing-in as family members and others are in Washington for the first day of the new Congress. 

“We had to have a speaker in order to do that,” Pelosi said, “we pursued that, they said you have to have an absolute speaker.”

Kevin McCarthy suffered yet another stinging defeat on Wednesday as he lost in the sixth round of voting to elect a speaker — a major blow that increasingly imperils his bid and heightens uncertainty over whether he can still secure the gavel or if a viable candidate will emerge as an alternative. 

The House GOP majority has been stuck at a contentious stalemate amid opposition to McCarthy from a group of conservatives. The fight, which began on the first day of the 118th Congress, has thrown the new House GOP majority into chaos and undercut the party’s agenda.

The House will continue to be paralyzed until this standoff is resolved. The situation has grown dire for McCarthy’s political future as Republican allies are beginning to fear that the House GOP leader may not be able to pull off his gamble for speaker if the fight goes much longer.

It’s not at all clear whether McCarthy and his allies will be able to lock down the votes – and the longer the fight drags on, the more imperiled his speakership bid has become. But there were signs Wednesday that negotiations are progressing. 

Last-minute deal-making: After a series of failed speaker votes earlier in the day, the House adjourned for several hours Wednesday as Republicans continued talks. 

Texas Rep. Chip Roy, one of the conservatives who has voted against McCarthy’s speakership bid, told GOP leaders that he thinks he can get 10 holdouts to come along if these ongoing negotiations pan out, according to GOP sources familiar with the internal discussions, and that there are additional detractors who may be willing to vote “present.”

Sources said the talks Wednesday between McCarthy allies and holdouts have been the most productive and serious ones to date. And in one sign of a breakthrough, a McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to not play in open Republican primaries in safe seats — one of the big demands that conservatives had asked for but that McCarthy had resisted until this point.

Still, even if these negotiations prove successful and 10 lawmakers do flip to McCarthy’s column — which is far from certain — that doesn’t get McCarthy to the 218 votes to win the speakership, so he would still have more work to do.

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Rep. Chip Roy told Republican leaders he thinks he can get 10 holdouts to come along if these ongoing negotiations pan out, according to GOP sources familiar with the internal discussions, and that there are additional detractors who may be willing to vote present. 

Sources said the talks tonight amongst McCarthy allies and holdouts have been the most productive and serious ones to date. In one sign of a breakthrough, a McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to not play in open primaries in safe seats — one of the big demands that conservatives had asked for but that McCarthy had resisted up until this point.

Still, even if these negotiations prove successful and 10 lawmakers do flip to McCarthy’s column — far from certain — that doesn’t get McCarthy to 218, so he would still have more work to do.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has no more margin for error. This hinges on the expectation that four Republicans — Andy Biggs, Chip Roy, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert — are almost certainly immovable in their opposition.

That means he has to somehow convince the rest of the bloc of 20 to change their votes to either “present,” which would lower the voting threshold, or to vote for him.

The House is still in a holding pattern after lawmakers failed to elect a new speaker for the second day. Rep. Kevin McCarthy has failed to get a majority of the vote after six ballots. 

After reconvening after a short recess Wednesday, the House voted to adjourn until Thursday — mostly along party lines, except for four Republicans who voted to oppose adjournment. Those lawmakers also voted against McCarthy for the speakership.

Some lawmakers are warning that the longer the process drags on, the more votes McCarthy will lose. However, negotiations are ongoing, and McCarthy said that though there has been “progress” in closed-door talks, a deal has not been reached.

This is how the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds of voting played out:

Here’s what else to know: