Kevin McCarthy Comes up Short Again as Speaker Race Heads to Third Ballot

After GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy failed on Tuesday to secure enough votes to win the speaker’s gavel on the first ballot, a second round was necessitated — the first time additional ballots were needed since 1923.

The vote for speaker will go to a second ballot, followed by an indefinite number of additional votes if a candidate can’t secure a majority. https://t.co/xMYnoLa78j pic.twitter.com/VrSRU3dWgH

— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) January 3, 2023

This is, presumably, not the kind of historic start GOP leadership was hoping for as the majority party in the new Congress.

For the second ballot, Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Kevin McCarthy were again nominated. But, instead of renominating Rep. Andy Biggs as the GOP alternative to McCarthy, Rep. Matt Gaetz nominated Rep. Jim Jordan — who had nominated McCarthy for the second ballot.

.@RepMattGaetz: "I'm nominating Jim Jordan. Jim Jordan is humble, perhaps today humble to a fault. Maybe the right person for the job of Speaker of the House isn't someone who wants it so bad." pic.twitter.com/HJgJm4dDsU

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 3, 2023