The 15-Ballot Journey: McCarthy Elected Speaker of the House
The Republican Party may currently control the U.S. House of Representatives, but are they doing so with unity? The recent events within the government have caused surfacing debates and worldwide speculation over this question. On Jan. 6, 2023, Republicans finally reached an (almost) consensus in voting for California Republican Kevin McCarthy as the 55th Speaker of the House. McCarthy managed to scrap up 216 votes, just below the usual 218 votes needed to claim the position. During the 15th and final ballot, six remaining members simply voted “present,” avoiding officially voting McCarthy in as speaker but enabling his name to take the title.
The road to McCarthy’s victory was certainly not as easy as he, including the rest of the nation, expected. Resistance came from all sides, unveiling the harsh division that lies within the Republican party, and the greater United States government as a whole. Starting on Tuesday, Jan. 3, the results didn’t immediately point to a clear McCarthy victory. Getting only 203 votes on the first ballot, the House entered a second round, followed by a third, with votes maintaining or decreasing with the progression of each round. Republicans weren’t afraid to put their disunity on display, including Matt Gaetz, who resorted to nominating other Republican representatives such as Jim Jordan and even going so far as to throw in former President Donald Trump. These McCarthy-opposers weren’t sure in wholeheartedly placing their vote with McCarthy, some believing he would fail to carry out rules based on prior actions, others lacking confidence in his level of conservativeness. By the 14th round, Republicans and Democrats alike were surprised—and restless—after realizing McCarthy had fallen short by a single vote from his party. Regardless, the 15 ballots proved McCarthy’s success, and settling in the successor of Democrat Nancy Pelosi was seen through.
The victory following a record 15-ballot-election didn’t come without persistence, strategizing, and harsh sacrifices. McCarthy outlined a variety of concessions that helped him secure his final votes, including allowing a single member of the House to call a no-confidence vote in the Speaker position and agreeing to decrease the amount of GOP (Republican) members necessary to begin the process of removing a speaker from office.
Only the coming months and years will determine the degree of success to which Republicans will surpass for the nation to effectively thrive. McCarthy’s arduous win foreshadows the issues that will follow in the ability of Republicans to successfully pass their legislative agenda rooted in the inability of the Republican Party to unite behind McCarthy with full swiftness and faith—marking the beginning of the true journey at large.
