- Title: U.S. House rejects McCarthy again despite Trump plea for unity
- Date: 4th January 2023
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JANUARY 4, 2023) (Unrestricted pool) GENERAL VIEW OF FLOOR OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AHEAD OF THE FOURTH VOTE FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER, KEVIN MCCARTHY, GREETING COLLEAGUE GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE FLOOR AHEAD OF THE FOURTH VOTE FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. (SOUNDBITE) (English) REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN FROM WISCONSIN, MIKE GALLAGHER, SAYING: "I rise to nominate the gentleman from California, Kevin McCarthy, for Speaker of the House." MCCARTHY SUPPORTERS STAND AND APPLAUD MCCARTHY AND GALLAGHER SHAKE HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN FROM CALIFORNIA, PETE AGUILAR, SAYING: "As Chair of the Democratic Caucus, I am directed by that vote of the caucus to present for election to the 118th Congress the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, representative-elect for the State of New York, for the office of Speaker." SUPPORTERS OF JEFFRIES STANDING AND APPLAUDING JEFFRIES ACKNOWLEDGING THE APPLAUSE (SOUNDBITE) (English) REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN FROM TEXAS, CHIP ROY, SAYING: "Today, I'm rising to nominate Byron Donalds for Speaker of the House of Representatives." REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN FROM FLORIDA, BYRON DONALDS GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE FLOOR ROLL CALL BEGINNING FOR FOURTH ROUND OF VOTING AGUILAR AFTER VOTING GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE FLOOR DURING FOURTH ROUND OF VOTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE CLERK, CHERYL JOHNSON, READING RESULTS OF FOURTH ROUND OF VOTING: "The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of the State of New York has received 212. (JEFFRIES SUPPORTERS STAND AND APPLAUD) The Honorable Kevin McCarthy of the State of California has received 201. (MCCARTHY APPLAUDS AND STANDS) The Honorable Byron Donalds of the State of Florida has received 20. With one member-elect recorded as "present." No member-elect having received a majority of the whole number of votes cast, a Speaker has not been elected." GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE FLOOR AHEAD OF FIFTH ROUND OF VOTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) REPUBLICAN CONGRESSWOMAN FROM COLORADO, LAUREN BOEBERT, SAYING: "So let's work together. Let's stop with the campaign smears and tactics to get people to turn against us. Even having my favorite President call us and tell us we need to knock this off. I think actually it needs to be reversed. The President needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that 'Sir, you do not have the votes and it's time to withdraw.'" GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE FLOOR AS FIFTH ROUND OF VOTING BEGINS FIFTH ROUND OF VOTING UNDERWAY GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE FLOOR (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE CLERK, CHERYL JOHNSON, READING RESULTS OF FIFTH ROUND OF VOTING: "The total number of votes cast is 433. Of which the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of the State of New York has received 212. (JEFFRIES SUPPORTERS APPLAUD) The Honorable Kevin McCarthy of the State of California has received 201. (MCCARTHY SUPPORTERS APPLAUD) The Honorable Byron Donalds of the State of Florida has received 20. (GENERAL VIIEW OF HOUSE FLOOR). No member-elect having received a majority of the votes cast, a Speaker has not been elected." GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE FLOOR
- Embargoed: 18th January 2023 20:50
- Keywords: Byron Donalds Hakeem Jeffries House Republicans Kevin McCarthy Lauren Boebert Speaker of the House U.S. House of Representatives leadership
- Location: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001041604012023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives struggled with a second day of division on Wednesday (January 4) as a stubborn band of holdouts refused to back Kevin McCarthy's bid to lead the chamber, defying former President Donald Trump's call for unity.
Despite Trump's appeal, McCarthy fell short in a fourth and a fifth vote for House speaker, as roughly 20 Republicans on the party's right flank refused to back a candidate they saw as ideologically unreliable.
McCarthy, a congressman from California who has served as the top House Republican since 2019, weathered the first three failed votes on Tuesday. The last time the House failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot was 1923.
McCarthy secured only 201 votes on Wednesday, as 20 Republicans voted for Representative Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican first elected in 2020, and one Republican declined to back a specific candidate. After McCarthy again fell short, the House moved toward holding a sixth vote.
All 212 of the chamber's Democrats voted for their leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
Hardliners called on him to take another tack.
"The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy, 'Sir, you do not have the votes and it's time to withdraw,'" said Republican Representative Lauren Boebert said, referring to Trump.
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