Wrinkled McCarthy... US House Fails to Elect Speaker in 6 Votes (Summary)

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The U.S. House of Representatives continued voting for the second day on the 4th (local time) to elect a new Speaker of the House but has yet to confirm the winner. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House Majority Leader who was considered the frontrunner, failed to secure a majority in the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds of voting following three rounds the previous day, damaging his reputation.

According to the Washington Post (WP) and others, the House held the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds of voting during the plenary session but no candidate received the majority of 218 or more votes. Previously, the House also conducted three rounds of voting on the opening day of the 118th Congress but ultimately did not confirm a winner.

This is the first time in 100 years that the Speaker election in the U.S. House has not been decided in the first ballot. After completing the 6th round of voting, the House went into recess and will resume the session at 8 p.m. (Korean time 10 a.m.).

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the second day, the Republicans again nominated Kevin McCarthy as their candidate, while the Democrats nominated Hakeem Jeffries as theirs. However, the hardline faction leading the rebellion within the Republican Party put forward Representative Byron Donald as a separate candidate instead of supporting McCarthy.

In the voting results, McCarthy received 201 votes in each of the three rounds, falling short of the majority (218 votes or more). The hardliners’ 20 votes all went to Representative Donald. Since the Republicans hold 222 seats in the House, McCarthy needs fewer rebellion votes to be elected Speaker. Previously, 19 rebellion votes were confirmed in the 1st and 2nd rounds, and 20 in the 3rd round. Representative Donald, who became the hardliners’ candidate this day, was among the members who defected from McCarthy in the 3rd round.

This division within the Republican Party contrasts with the Democrats, who cast all 212 votes for Jeffries over three rounds. Jeffries continues to receive unanimous support from the Democrats.

McCarthy stated, "I received the most votes," and confirmed his strong determination by saying, "We will continue until we win." The Republican hardliners have publicly criticized McCarthy’s election as Speaker, citing his insufficient aggressiveness toward the Democrats and President Joe Biden. They are currently demanding changes to the House rules to allow any member to submit a resolution to remove the Speaker.

Earlier that morning, former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of McCarthy and call for Republican unity did not significantly influence the hardliners’ stance. Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, saying, "I had a good conversation with Leader McCarthy," and urged, "The Republican Party should not turn a great victory into a shameful defeat."

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

As a result, concerns are rising that political turmoil within the House may prolong. The election of the Speaker is necessary for forming standing committees and proceeding with key legislative schedules such as bill voting. In effect, the legislative process is at a standstill.

McCarthy’s camp is reportedly attempting behind-the-scenes negotiations with the hardline members. Local media analyze that McCarthy will have to make greater concessions to appease the hardliners. The New York Times (NYT) pointed out, "The hardline members do not expect Representative Donald to be elected. They want to record their dissatisfaction with McCarthy."

One hundred years ago in 1923, the Speaker was elected after nine rounds of voting. In 1855, just before the Civil War, the House failed to elect a Speaker and held as many as 133 rounds of voting over two months. President Joe Biden, before visiting Kentucky on this day, told reporters, "I hope the Republicans unite and act," criticizing the delay in the Speaker election process as "a shameful matter. The whole world is watching."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.