McCarthy’s bid for House speaker enters second day after failed votes

House Dems plan to whip if GOP motions to adjourn

House Democrats plan to whip against if Republicans move to adjourn until tomorrow, according to a whip notice sent to all Democrats.

House Republicans could attempt to make the motion after the chamber reconvenes Wednesday at noon, multiple sources familiar with the negotiations confirmed to NBC News. Such a move would allow McCarthy and his allies to buy more time to negotiate instead of more rounds of losses for the GOP leader.

But with Democrats’ planning to whip against any motion, Republicans would need the support of 218 members of their own party for it to succeed.

Not all Republicans support the motion, with specific concern around those in the party who voted against McCarthy’s leadership bid. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn., for example, tweeted that he “won’t back down.”

Could the House adjourn again? What to expect when the chamber reconvenes

The House is scheduled to reconvene Wednesday at noon, starting with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance before the clerk will move to a fourth ballot in the speaker election. 

That could, however, be interrupted.

Some McCarthy allies are discussing making a motion to adjourn until Thursday, according to multiple sources — which would require a majority to pass. A motion to adjourn early Wednesday could be met with resistance — from both Democrats and Republicans.

If members don’t agree to a motion to adjourn, then the House would head to a fourth ballot. Nominating speeches would be made before the roll is called on another speaker vote. 

When Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., made the motion to adjourn Tuesday evening, it was decided without a roll call because members were so eager to get off the floor.

The last time a speaker election took multiple ballots: 1923

Kyle Stewart

The last time a speaker election went to multiple ballots, the House took four unsuccessful votes on the first day, December 3, 1923 before adjourning. 

“Radicals Force Deadlock in House as Congress Opens,” read the headline of the New York Times the next day. At issue were rules changes that a group of Progressive Republicans demanded be made before they would agree to support the re-election of Republican Frederick Gillett as speaker. 

Nicholas Longworth, Republican floor leader at that time, refused to negotiate at first. Four more unsuccessful ballots were taken December 4 before the House again adjourned. That night Longworth hashed out a deal with the Progressives and the following day Gillett was elected on the ninth ballot. 

Pelosi says House should allow members to be sworn in before settling speaker vote

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the most recent House speaker, told reporters that she thinks the “courteous thing to do” is to allow members to be sworn in prior to the speaker vote so that their children can be there when it happens.

“Let’s just be courteous to the families on both sides of the aisle,” Pelosi said. Republicans were still jockeying Wednesday morning to come to a consensus on a new House speaker. Meanwhile, many new members from both parties spent Tuesday on the floor with their families, waiting in vain to be sworn in. Some brought their children, including babies.

Pelosi was then asked how it would be procedurally possible to swear in members without a speaker.

“Well, the speaker is sworn in without a speaker. So, the other members can be as well,” she said.

Pelosi criticized Republican leadership, saying she’s thankful that the GOP wasn’t in the majority on the day of the Jan. 6 attack because “that was a day you had to be organized to stave off what was happening to save our democracy, to certify the election of the president.”

How could this end? Changing the rules probably won’t help

Kyle Stewart

The longest election for speaker of the House went on for two months over the course of 1855-56 and took 133 ballots. But new Speaker Nathaniel Banks technically wasn’t chosen that year by a majority. Instead, the House voted to change the rules temporarily to elect the speaker by a plurality vote rather than a majority. 

That has only happened one other time, in 1849, when it took 63 ballots to elect the speaker. If members start to grow weary as voting drags on, changing to a plurality vote is an option. A majority vote to change the rule would be needed. 

At this point, however, McCarthy would likely not even win that vote — Democratic Leader Jeffries would. With the entire Democratic caucus behind him, Jeffries has so far received more votes than McCarthy on each ballot. McCarthy would need to flip enough of his opponents to ensure he would have more votes than Jeffries. 

Biden on House speaker chaos: ‘It’s a little embarrassing’

Jan. 4, 202300:45

Before leaving the White House for Kentucky on Wednesday, Biden said that the GOP’s struggle to elect a House speaker is not his concern.

“That’s not my problem,” he told reporters. “I just think it’s a little embarrassing it’s taking so long.”

Biden said the rest of the world is watching how Republicans are “dealing with one another” and they’re wondering if they can get their “act together.”

‘What I’m focused on is getting things done,” he said.

McCarthy: ‘Same game plan as yesterday’

After arriving to the Capitol on Wednesday morning, McCarthy told reporters, “I think we can get to an agreement.”

McCarthy is sticking with the strategy that left the House deadlocked on Tuesday.

“Same game plan as yesterday,” he told reporters when asked what his plan for today was.

“We’re sitting, we’re talking,” he said.

Meanwhile, House Republicans began a 10:45 a.m. ET conference call to discuss the path forward. The Tuesday morning meeting of Republicans became heated when McCarthy tried to convince his members to unite and some argued about the need to reach an agreement.

Sen. Patty Murray is currently second in line for the presidency

Because a speaker has not been elected, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is currently second in the presidential line of succession because she is the Senate president pro tempore. 

Murray became the first woman to hold the second highest-ranking position in the chamber on Tuesday after the Senate unanimously passed a resolution to put her in the position by voice vote.

“Well, the fact is,” Murray told NBC News Wednesday morning when asked if she was acting under the assumption that she is currently second in line to the presidency. “But hopefully they’re gonna figure it out.”

Murray would become president in the unlikely and tragic event that both the president and vice president suddenly become unable to do their job.

Why is the C-SPAN video so much better during the speaker vote?

People tuned in to the excitement of the multiple roll calls for the speaker election have noticed that the video being aired on C-SPAN looks a little different than usual. There are different angles and shots of lawmakers and their kids. It’s less static than what’s usually shown on the House floor.

The big difference is that for now, C-SPAN has their own cameras in the chamber — and normally, it doesn’t.

C-SPAN spokesman Howard Mortman explained that for certain big events — like a joint meeting, the State of the Union address and speeches by foreign leaders — C-SPAN and other independent media outlets are allowed to bring their cameras to show the House floor. And did so for the speaker vote on Tuesday.

“When the House returns to regular legislative business, C-SPAN and other independent media cameras will no be longer be allowed to cover the floor. And that’s when it reverts back to regular, government-controlled feed — meaning the government controls the video and the audio from the chambers,” Mortman said.  

C-SPAN has repeatedly asked in the past for Congress to allow its cameras in more places, at more times. C-SPAN’s being allowed have its cameras in the chamber has nothing to do with the fact that there currently is no elected speaker.

Santos still plans to be sworn into Congress

Rep.-elect George Santos told NBC News on Wednesday that he still plans to be sworn into Congress despite pressure for him to step down after lying about a number of things on his resume.

Asked if he spoke to McCarthy on Tuesday, Santos said, “Yes I did and I still support him very much for speaker.”

Former GOP Rep. Upton won’t rule out consensus bid for speaker

Former Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., who has been floated as a potential bipartisan consensus choice for speaker is not ruling out the proposition — even if its an unlikely longshot since the House has never picked a speaker who isn’t also a member.

“I haven’t ruled that out,” Upton told NBC News on Wednesday morning. “But we’re a long way from getting to that point.”

Upton says he still supports McCarthy but the deadlock “shows that you got real problems.”

A turn to Upton is still unlikely. He would need the support of a great share of Democrats, who are united around Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., as well as several Republicans.

After 34 years in the U.S. House, Upton announced his retirement last year. He was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Upton predicted the speaker race will last for days ahead.

Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur open to voting for McCarthy

Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur said in an interview Tuesday night that she’s open to voting for McCarthy for speaker — a development that could signal the beginnings of a patchwork bipartisan coalition that hands the beleaguered Republican the gavel.

“I was thinking today, ‘Gosh, Kevin McCarthy was only short a few votes.’ I wish I could be part of some kind of a unity caucus that would yield him the votes — because the Republicans hold the majority — and maybe put us in a special category,” Kaptur said in the interview with Taylor Popielarz, a reporter with Spectrum News.

“I was going around talking to some of my Republican colleagues about that,” Kaptur added. “I said, ‘What would we call that, where we would lend our votes to Kevin McCarthy?’ I’m a Democrat, but I have many Republicans in our district. And not that we would agree with him on everything, but at least let the man become speaker.”

Whenever she is sworn in for her 21st term, Kaptur will become the longest-serving woman in congressional history. She survived a re-election campaign last year in a Toledo-based district that became more Republican under a new House map.

In a statement to NBC News, Kaptur aide David Zavac said that the congresswoman is “proud to support Hakeem Jeffries,” the Democratic candidate for speaker.

But Zavac added: “If, with Republicans in the majority, the path to getting things done for hard-working Northwest Ohioans is forming a coalition leadership group to deliver for the American people it is no surprise Marcy Kaptur would pitch in to help.”

Top McCarthy allies are negotiating with the goal of whittling majority vote threshold

Some of Kevin McCarthy’s top allies have been deputized in negotiations with Freedom Caucus members, including Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, Garret Graves of Louisiana, and Bruce Westerman and French Hill, both of Arkansas.

The contours of the talks continue to hinge on such things as lowering the number of members needed to trigger a motion to vacate the chair (that is, to try to remove the speaker) and questions of House procedure. But the goal isn’t to get all 20 members opposed to McCarthy to flip; rather, it’s to get some to flip and others to vote present, requiring a smaller majority threshold that McCarthy could clear on the floor.

McCarthy, however, has been talking with reluctant or recalcitrant lawmakers for weeks. What’s different now? When asked on Tuesday, McHenry replied simply, and somewhat cryptically, “Time.”

Leaving a meeting with McCarthy late Tuesday night, Westerman said, “There’s no rule, or anything, that says how long it can or can’t go on.”

Gaetz argues McCarthy should be booted from speaker’s office

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida intensified his attacks on McCarthy by arguing that the California Republican “can no longer be considered Speaker-Designate” after failing to win the gavel on Tuesday and should be removed from the office in the Capitol reserved for the speaker.

In a letter to the head of the Architect of the Capitol, which oversees office space for lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Gaetz claimed McCarthy was trying to “occupy” the speaker’s office.

“After three undeciding votes, no member can lay claim to this office,” Gaetz wrote. “What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office? How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?”

Gaetz on Tuesday was among a group of conservatives who opposed McCarthy’s bid for speaker, first voting for Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona and then Jordan, even after the Ohio Republican nominated McCarthy.

Biggs responded to Gaetz’s letter in a tweet on Wednesday by saying, “McCarthy is squatting in the Speaker’s office.”

Several freshman members issued incorrect press releases saying they were sworn in

Some freshman lawmakers posted press releases Tuesday erroneously saying they had been sworn in to the new Congress — all of which were nearly identical. Lawmakers weren’t sworn in on Tuesday as planned because a speaker had not been elected.

Rep.-elect George Santos, R-N.Y., who is under scrutiny after admitting he made numerous false claims about his background, is among the freshman lawmakers who issued the incorrect statements. Some others include Republicans Dale Strong of Alabama, Eli Crane of Arizona and John Duarte of California, and Democrat Yadira Caraveo of Colorado.

On Wednesday morning, the erroneous press releases remained on their websites.

Democrats revel in GOP chaos on Day 2 of speaker election

House Democrats on Wednesday continued to scoff at their GOP counterparts, who are facing a second day of trying to elect a speaker after their first attempts fell short.

Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., tweeted, “Day 2 of the 118th Congress: @HouseDemocrats stand united in fighting for progress. Republicans are fighting each other.”

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y, tweeted, “Day 1: Kevin McCarthy’s own Republicans rejected him. Day 2: trying this again and hopefully Republicans will have their act together with less chaos. #SpeakerOfTheHouse #118thCongress.”

“I’m disappointed that the House adjourned after failing to select a Speaker of the House,” tweeted Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., who said what unfolded Tuesday was an “embarrassing distraction.”

McCarthy faces second day of uncertainty

Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and his conservative detractors will square off for a second consecutive day as lawmakers prepare to resume voting on Wednesday to pick the next House speaker.

The fresh showdown comes a day after a group of 20 far-right rebels banded together and blocked McCarthy from winning the 218 votes needed.

Three separate votes were held, and each time the California Republican and veteran member of GOP leadership fell short. It marked the first time in 100 years that the speaker vote has gone to multiple ballots.

“This is about saving the country and getting somebody that’s going to cut and get us on a financial path of solvency,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., one of the so-called Never Kevins who voted against McCarthy. “I’ll sit here for six more months — it doesn’t matter.”

Read the full story here.

Trump blames Republican ‘turmoil’ on McConnell

Former President Donald Trump — who reiterated his support for McCarthy in his bid to become speaker Wednesday after declining to do so to NBC News on Tuesday — has sought to blame the struggles of House Republicans on the Senate’s GOP leader: Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

“There is so much unnecessary turmoil in the Republican Party, in large part do to people like the Old Broken Crow, Mitch McConnell,” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday, after posting about his continued support for McCarthy, Trump again sent another post attacking McConnell.

Jan. 4, 202302:41

Speaker standoff highlights deep GOP divisions

A stunning inability to elect a speaker Tuesday highlighted fissures within the Republican Party over strategy and vision, grinding the House to a halt and raising fresh questions about the future of the GOP.

“We have to make a choice today: Are we going to be the party of the radical 2%? Because that’s what it comes down to,” a frustrated Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., said after a caucus meeting. “Kevin McCarthy will be the speaker of the House — and I don’t care if it’s the first ballot or the 97th ballot.”

The standoff was demoralizing for a party that had hoped to use the new majority to show Americans how it would govern — before it asks voters to give the GOP control of the White House and the Senate in the 2024 election. Instead, the displays of dysfunction threaten to further alienate independent and center-right voters, who drifted toward Democrats in 2022, causing the GOP’s underperformance in the midterm elections and its current paper-thin margin.

Read the full story here.