UPDATE VII: We'll skip the old news about the 10th ballot for House speaker for the 118th Congress (we had to walk the dogs) and go straight to Ballot XI, where Republican leader Kevin McCarthy continues to lose support, however slowly. His count in the 11th ballot was 200, with all 212 Democrats maintaining their support -- and not giving in to any schemes to vote "present" and reduce the threshold -- for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) received 12 votes, Rep. Kevin Hearn (R-OK) got seven and Donald J. Trump received one vote. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) continues to vote "present."
XII tomorrow: The House voted along party lines (Democrats want to stay until someone is elected speaker) to adjourn Thursday evening. Ballot XII will have to wait until Friday.
UPDATE VI: Same as it ever was. McCarthy at 201, and yet the would-be speaker insists he will eventually win over another 17 Republican congress members. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) at 212, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) with 17, and three votes for Rep. Kevin Hearn (R-OK), from Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Josh Brecheen (R-OK) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who switched his vote from Donald J. Trump.
UPDATE V: On the eighth ballot, Rep. Kevin McCarthy held steady at 201 votes while Rep. Byron Donalds fell to 17 votes. Reps. Laurent Boebert (R-CO) and Josh Brecheen voted for Brecheen's fellow Oklahoma Republican, Rep. Kevin Hearn (R-OK) while Rep. Matt Gaetz again voted for Trump. Rep. Victoria Spartz voted "present" again, and all 212 Democrats held steady to vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. So, on to number nine.
UPDATE IV: ...Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) voted for his fellow Florida Man for House Speaker; Ex-President Donald J. Trump. Kevin McCarthy again received 201 votes, despite having made concessions in a late night meeting with GOP holdouts. One major concession McCarthy made is he would reinstate a rule that would allow a single House member to force a vote to remove the speaker. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) received 19 votes, one Republican voted "present" and all 212 Democrats voting for their party's House leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, of New York. An eighth ballot was immediately underway.
UPDATE III: House Speaker Ballot VI results were no different from Ballot V or Ballot IV, with 201 votes for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), 212 for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), 20 votes for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and one "present." At least McCarthy isn't continuing to lose votes. Ballot VII will be necessary.
UPDATE II: House Speaker Ballot V (yes, it's time to begin to use Super Bowl-style Roman numerals for this count) ended just as House Speaker Ballot IV, with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) receiving 201 votes, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) at 212, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) at 20, and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) recording as "present." In nominating Donalds, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) concluded by saying McCarthy "does not have the votes. It's time to withdraw." Ballot VI is possible later Wednesday.
UPDATE: Would be House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) lost another vote in his bid for the gavel Wednesday afternoon, with Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) casting a vote of “present.” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who won his second term last November stood steady at 20 votes as McCarthy fell to 201, or 16 short of a majority of the lower chamber. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) again won all 212 Democratic votes. A fifth vote is expected, according to C-Span.
Meanwhile: Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) tells The Hill that McCarthy has begun talks with Democrats to support a consensus candidate -- either by voting for McCarthy or by voting "present" in sufficient numbers to lower the Republican's threshold for securing a majority. That would take at least 12 Democrats to agree to the plan, based on the speakership's first four ballots.
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Because roll call in the House of Representatives is alphabetical, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) falls short of the number of votes needed to win the speaker’s gavel little more than a quarter-way into the vote.
“REP MCCARTHY DOES NOT HAVE THE VOTES … FOURTH SPEAKER VOTE EXPECTED” reads the C-Span Chiron.
But the House must continue with the roll call of all 434 representatives-elect (they have to wait for a speaker to swear them in for the 118th Congress) before going on to the next ballot. If a sufficient number of Republican Congress members vote “present,” the winner could theoretically be Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the new Democratic Party leader replacing Rep. Nancy Pelosi, of California. [There are only 434 House members, because Democratic Rep. Donald A. McEachin died in November, and his Virginia district has yet to hold a special election to replace him.]
It is as tedious as it sounds, and yet the House’s slim Republican majority has been trending oh so slightly away from McCarthy, even though he has physically moved into the speaker’s office already.
In Round One, 202 Republicans voted for McCarthy, to 10 votes for Rep. Andy Biggs, who was nominated by fellow Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) received six votes, and Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN), Lee Zeldin (R-NY) and Byron Donalds (R-FL) each received one vote.
All 211 Democrats backed Jeffries in all three rounds.
Despite 10 votes backing Jordan in the first round, Jordan went on to nominate McCarthy in the second round. And yet, 19 Republicans voted for Jordan even as he backed McCarthy. By the third round, 20 Republicans rejected McCarthy as the House speaker.
A fourth ballot is scheduled to begin noon Wednesday.
-- Todd Lassa