GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) was finally elected speaker early Saturday morning after four days of voting and 15 ballots.
McCarthy won 216-212 on the 15th ballot. It was the first time since 1923 that a speaker vote went to multiple ballots.
All six remaining Republicans who withheld their support for McCarthy up to the final ballot voted ‘present’. They are: Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Eli Crane of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia and Matt Rosendale of Montana.
“That was easy, huh?” McCarthy joked after being handed the speaker’s gavel. “My father always told me it isn’t how you start, it is how you finish, and now we need to finish strong for the American people.”
To secure this victory McCarthy had to make key concessions to several far-right members of his conference.
According to Politico, McCarthy has agreed to a rule that would allow just one lawmaker to call for a no-confidence vote and remove him as Speaker. He has also reportedly agreed to cut defense spending by roughly $75 billion, a move that will likely anger the more moderate members of the conference who want to raise defense spending.
[Featured Image: Andrew Harnik/AP]
