The U.S. House of Representatives tried and failed on its 11th attempt to elect a speaker of the House Thursday, continuing a standoff by Republicans opposed to GOP front-runner Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California.
The House voted to adjourn until noon Friday.
The House can't conduct official business, including swearing in new representatives and adopting new rules, until a speaker is chosen. Members voted three times on Tuesday and Wednesday each and five times on Thursday.
Last multiple ballots for speaker were in 1923
Speakers are traditionally elected by the majority party in the House. The chamber’s failure to elect a speaker in multiple ballots is the first in almost a century. It took the House nine ballots to elect a speaker in 1923 and 133 ballots to choose one in 1855.
The House has 434 of its total 435 members at the moment, with 222 Republicans and 212 Democrats. A candidate usually needs 218 votes to become speaker. McCarthy's votes have hovered between 200 and 203.
When Republicans retook the House in November, McCarthy, then the House minority leader, was nominated to become speaker on Nov. 15.
But McCarthy is opposed by more than a dozen deeply conservative Republicans, who want changes in House rules. McCarthy has made concessions to his opposition, who say they aren’t enough.
All 212 Democrats have voted for New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for speaker. It's unlikely that members of either party will cross partisan lines to support a candidate.
It's important to note that 218 votes for the speaker are not absolutely needed. Members can decline to vote or vote "present," which reduces the vote threshold needed to win.
1st vote: 1:39 p.m. EST Tuesday
2nd vote: 3:16 p.m. Tuesday
3rd vote: 4:55 p.m. Tuesday
4th vote: 1:12 p.m. Wednesday
5th vote: 2:40 p.m. Wednesday
6th vote: 3:38 p.m. Wednesday
7th vote: 1:16 p.m. Thursday
8th vote: 3:01 p.m. Thursday
9th vote: 4:29 p.m. Thursday
10th vote: 5:52 p.m. Thursday
Votes of Freedom Caucus members
How deeply conservative Republicans aligned against Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker have voted in this week's ballots:
Why is the House speaker so important?
The speaker of the House is a powerful position, one that presides over the chamber and controls its proceedings.
The speaker is a key negotiator between the House, Senate and the presidency. Speakers can push legislation through the House or delay or kill it.
Why is the House at 434 members?
Democrat Anthony DeLuca, who won the House District 32 seat in Pennsylvania, died before Nov. 8, too close to the election to have his name removed from the ballot. A special election will determine his replacement.
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SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Associated Press; Congressional Research Service; clerk.house.gov; govtrack.us; history.house.gov
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