House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has lost the vote for speaker.
This is the first round of voting so McCarthy is not dead in the water.
But with a revolt from the Freedom Caucus, which has at least 9 defectors, it doesn’t look good for McCarthy.
The revolt is enough to block McCarthy’s bid for the speakership.
In the second round of voting anything could happen.
A non-member like Lee Zeldin or even President Donald Trump could be picked for the role.
Lee Zeldin received at least one vote in the first round.
MCCARTHY NO VOTES w. numbers
1. Biggs — Biggs
2. Bishop — Biggs
3. Boebert — Jordan
4. Breechen — Banks
5. Cloud — Jordan
6. Clyde — Biggs
7. Crane — Biggs
8. Gaetz — Biggs
9. Good– Biggs
10. Gosar — Biggs
11. Harris — Zeldin— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 3, 2023
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and a few others have made it clear that they will not vote for McCarthy.
“As it stands, I will not be voting for Kevin McCarthy to be Speaker of the House,” Boebert said in a statement.
“So now, here we are, being sworn at instead of sworn in and we could have had this solved months ago.
“I have been working every day to unify the Republican party for the American people and yesterday we had a deal that was not a selfish deal in any way for Kevin McCarthy to give him the gavel on the first ballot and he eagerly dismissed us.”
Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) said:
“In his 14 years in Republican Leadership, McCarthy has repeatedly failed to demonstrate any desire to meaningfully change the status quo in Washington.”
McCarthy said earlier:
“There’s times we’re going to have to argue with our own members if they’re looking at for only positions for themselves, not for the country.
“Look, I have the record for the longest speech ever on the floor.
“I don’t have a problem getting a record for the most votes for speaker too.”
I’ve seen enough: GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) will not win the speaker’s gavel on the first ballot.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) January 3, 2023
BREAKING: Kevin McCarthy is poised to lose the first vote for speaker, likely sending the House to a second ballot for the first time since 1923. https://t.co/bpRuMexRjG
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 3, 2023
