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January 9, 2023

McCarthy Voted House Speaker After 15 Rounds, a Near Brawl, and His Power Significantly Diminished
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California Republican Kevin Mc Carthy was elected as speaker of the
House of Representatives in the early hours of Saturday, after a
historic 15 rounds of voting. Mc Carthy was forced to make a flurry of
concessions to the hard-right faction of his party, which will hold
significant power in the new Congress.

One of the most dramatic moments in the drawn-out process came during
the 14th round of voting Friday, when Congressmember Matt Gaetz refused
to vote for Mc Carthy, instead voting "present," leaving the embattled
Republican leader one vote short of a victory and prompting an angry
Mike Rogers of Alabama, a fellow Republican, to yell and lunge at Gaetz
before he was restrained by North Carolina Congressmember Richard
Hudson.

Mc Carthy was eventually elected on the 15th ballot with 216 votes to
212 for Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Six Republicans did not vote
for Mc Carthy, instead casting "present" votes, which was enough to
secure Mc Carthy's victory. After the four-day saga wrapped up, Mc
Carthy credited former President Trump with helping him clinch the
speakership.

Speaker Kevin Mc Carthy: "But I do want to especially thank President
Trump. I don't think you should doubt - anybody should doubt his
influence. He was with me from the beginning. Somebody wrote the doubt
of whether he was there. And he was all in."



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