Kevin McCarthy loses SEVENTH ballot for House Speaker

Embattled GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy lost a seventh-round vote for House Speaker on Thursday, further fueling the chaos that’s engulfed his party and paralyzed Capitol Hill.

McCarthy’s tally of ‘no’ votes quickly exceeded the four-member threshold he can afford to lose, as the members of the same group of ‘Never Kevin’ Republicans shot down his quest for the gavel.

While the majority of those rebels voted for Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds, as they did yesterday, firebrand Congressman Matt Gaetz broke from his faction to nominate Donald Trump. 

It’s a purely symbolic move from a lawmaker who all but swore to never vote for McCarthy.

That’s despite him agreeing to several concessions that would give significantly more power to the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, multiple reports have said. 

When it first came time to cast a vote, Donalds was not present in the chamber. He later returned to vote for himself. 

Otherwise, the seventh-round vote played out largely like the others have. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was seen sitting next to Gaetz, despite the two trading jabs in the days leading up to the Speaker vote over their differing opinions on McCarthy.

Firebrand GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene were seen sitting next to each other, despite their public break over McCarthy’s Speakership bid

Despite that, however, Greene held fast to her vote for the beleaguered House GOP Leader. 

The first-round vote ultimately saw all 212 Democrats back their new leader, Hakeem Jeffries, while McCarthy got 201 votes. 

Nineteen Republicans supported Donalds. And Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who switched her vote from ‘McCarthy’ to ‘present’ on Wednesday, did so again.

House lawmakers wearily made their way back to the US Capitol as Republicans’ fight over who will lead their thin majority spills into a third day.  

McCarthy’s bid for the House Speakership was derailed by conservative rebels, who an ally of his dubbed the ‘Taliban 20.’

The House adjourned on Wednesday evening after a raucous vote on whether to call it a night. 

Just before 9pm last night, House Democrats’ new No. 3 Rep. Pete Aguilar called for individual votes to be cast after the voice vote proved inconclusive.

Four Republicans joined Democrats in trying to drag out the session for more votes – which would have likely resulted in additional losing rounds for McCarthy – but ultimately the vote fell 216 to 214 for adjournment. 

For the seventh round, McCarthy was nominated by Michigan Rep-elect John James

GOP Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina stood to nominate Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, who the anti-McCarthy faction nominated on Wednesday

At the US Capitol ahead of the vote on Thursday, McCarthy told reporters, ‘I’m confident we will reach a solution otherwise we won’t be successful.’ 

The historic gridlock has paralyzed Capitol Hill; with no Speaker, the 118th House of Representatives cannot be sworn in, and new legislation cannot move to the floor or through committees – which do not have formal chairs yet.

And on Wednesday, a group of Republican military veterans held a press conference warning that the disarray was leading to significant national security vulnerabilities. Florida Rep. Michael Waltz said from the podium, ‘Authoritarian regimes all over the world are pointing to what’s going on in the House of Representatives and saying, “Look at the messiness of democracy, look at how it doesn’t work, can’t function.”‘

It’s been reported that McCarthy made some significant new concessions to his 20 detractors, including a measure that would allow one GOP lawmaker to trigger a vote for a new House Speaker, according to CNN – known as motion to vacate the chair.

In addition to the motion to vacate the chair being set at one vote, McCarthy has also reportedly promised conservatives votes on border security and term limits legislation.

He also reportedly agreed to giving more spots on the House Rules Committee to members of the hardline-right House Freedom Caucus. The powerful panel acts as a gatekeeper for any legislation that comes to the floor.