Kevin McCarthy LOSES opening ballot to become Speaker: Republican rebels upset vote for GOP leader 

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy lost the first round of votes for House speaker on Tuesday, kicking off a dramatic session expected to last for hours.

Nineteen House Republicans endorsed someone other than McCarthy on the initial vote. It is the first time in a century that a Speaker of the House has not been chosen in the initial round.

Shortly after roll call began, it became apparent that McCarthy did not have the votes to win the gavel.

Audible gasps rang out in the cavernous House chamber as more than a dozen Republican lawmakers challenged the California lawmaker’s candidacy.

Proceedings began with Republican conference chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik nominating McCarthy, as expected, and new No. 3 Democrats Pete Aguilar nominating the new 118th Congressional minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries.

Then far-right Rep. Paul Gosar ran to nominate Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, one of the original five Republican lawmakers who led the opposition to McCarthy.

However, over the course of the voting, conducted in alphabetical order, some members added wildcards to the mix. Biggs got 10 of the rebels’ votes, while nine members voted for someone else.

McCarthy hugged Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik after she formally nominated him

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert cast her vote for fellow Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, who voted for McCarthy and has said he doesn’t want the job.

Freshman Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen cast his vote for Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, the chairman of last year’s Republican Study Committee.

Another conservative member, Rep. Andy Harris, voted for Lee Zeldin, who left Congress late last year to run unsuccessfully for governor of New York.

Putting another spin on McCarthy’s potential rise, conservative Rep. Chip Roy endorsed pro-Donald Trump Republican Rep. Byron Donalds.

It had previously been reported that the Conservatives would present Biggs as McCarthy’s spoiler to prevent him from reaching the majority threshold.

Voting is done in rounds until a majority consensus is reached.

The GOP’s public bickering over its next House speaker has gotten its majority in the house off to a rocky start.

After both McCarthy and Jeffries were nominated, as expected, far-right Rep. Paul Gosar (pictured) stood up to put conservative Rep. Andy Biggs’ name into the mix.

Many of McCarthy’s dissenters also voted for Rep. Jim Jordan for president, despite the Ohio Republican saying he didn’t want the job.

House Republicans held a closed-door meeting before the vote in which McCarthy made a final appeal to his critics, telling them he “earned” the right to the Speaker’s gavel.

His impassioned comments did not sway his critics, namely the five Republican lawmakers who have sworn never to support him, but he seemed to reassure allies.

Rep. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican who previously said he would be open to working with Democrats to find an alternate president if McCarthy’s rebellion succeeds, told DailyMail.com after the meeting: “I think we won’t get there after today.’

He said McCarthy “did a great job” in his appeal for the gavel.

McCarthy himself told reporters after the meeting that he could see “maybe 20” members of his own caucus voting against him, at least in the first round.

‘I will always fight to put the American people first. There are not few individuals who want something for themselves. So we can have a plenary battle,” the Republican leader said.

In the House chamber before the speaker’s vote, members were hanging around socializing, many with small children in tow.

McCarthy chatted confidently with members new and old, and seemed unfazed by their interpartisan battle.