The last time the Speaker vote went on this long in 1859 – it took 44 rounds
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The last time the speaker’s vote lasted this long in 1859, it took 44 rounds and two months, Darwin published his theory of evolution, Oregon became a state, and the first oil well was drilled.
- Kevin McCarthy failed again on nine previous attempts
- It was a throwback to the violent political confrontations of the 19th century.
- McCarthy faces opposition from a group his allies compare to the hijackers
- 1859 Featured Debut of New Senate Chamber, Pennsylvania Oil Discovery
- McCarthy’s allies were trying to cut a deal with the reluctant
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The House passed another historic milestone with Thursday’s chaos on Capitol Hill, holding its 10th ballot for president for the first time since 1859, with no clear path to the Kevin McCarthy resolution yet.
It was another return to the previous wayward years in the republic, and in particular to a 19th century filled with furious political confrontations in Congress in the run-up to the Civil War.
The last contest to last this long was the 1859 contest that resulted in the election of Speaker William Pennington of New Jersey.
But that didn’t happen until the 44th ballot, as the moderate Republican was joined by Northern Democrats who were discontent with the Buchanan administration. (McCarthy extended his losses to an 11th vote on Thursday night.)
Historical! – Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy still failed to win a 10th-ballot majority on Thursday for speaker, something that hadn’t happened since 1859. Rep.-elect Andy Biggs (R-AZ) is among the holdouts.
It was the same year that John Brown made his raid on the Federal armory at Harper’s Ferry.
The 1859 race came two terms after an 1855 contest that went by 133 ballots and spanned four months, in a political struggle between slaveholding and antislavery factions that anticipated the Civil War. Nathaniel Banks of the American Party prevailed backed by an anti-slavery coalition.
The Capitol itself was still coming into its modern form during the fighting. The House met in its new chambers for the first time in December 1857, and the Senate met in 1859.
It was a time of economic and intellectual advancement, even as the United States was about to plunge into bloody conflict.
Charles Darwin published his work On the Origin of Species, after his extensive travels around the world. Beagle.
Burning down the House: The Capitol was still under construction in 1859, the last time a vote for president stretched to 10 ballots. The Senate met for the first time in its new chambers that year.
Everyone has something to hide: Charles Darwin published his On the origin of species this year
Drill baby drill – The first commercial oil well in the US was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania that year.
Washington was dotted with one- and two-story buildings the last time a vote for president was this long. It came during a tumultuous time before the Civil War.
Drilling began that year on what may have been the nation’s first commercial oil well at Titusville, Pennsylvania that year, on another of its milestones.
Others included the admission of Oregon as the 33rd state (as an anti-slavery state).
Thursday’s showdown featured attacks on McCarthy by Colorado Representative-elect Lauren Boebert, and 1859 featured the start of the Gold Rush in Colorado Territory.
‘Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes. Let’s elect a Republican who can unify our conference, who is a true leader,’ said Boebert, who narrowly won re-election, while calling on Oklahoma Rep.-elect Kevin Hern.
This week’s standoff has featured repeated flashes of anger and frustration, beginning with a heated closed-door GOP Conference meeting.
On Thursday, Rep.-elect Dan Bishop on the House floor accused Democrats of “grotesque and racist” rhetoric. On Wednesday, Representative-elect Mike Rogers compared 20 holdouts to “legislative terrorists who have no problem killing the hostage” in comments to DailyMail.com. And on Thursday, Rep-elect Dan Crenshaw told DailyMail.com that he was “worried that the 20 demanding concessions are full of shit.”
Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) criticized McCarthy, without using his name, but referring to a “squatter” in the Speaker’s office, where McCarthy set up his belongings.