McCarthy gained approval from the 14 Republicans who had given their approval to other candidates in the previous days, however, with six hesitations, he was unable to secure the group on the 13th ballot.
After four intense legislative sessions, many analysts categorized this situation as a drama in American politics, something not seen in a century, plunging the divided Republican Party and the country into chaos and uncertainty.
The final count for this vote gave McCarthy 214 ballots, a number that can vary as the rounds go by, and this is one of the pitfalls of this cumbersome process.
According to experts, the longer a conflict drags on, the more difficult it is to achieve your goal, that you run the risk of more defections and suffer a loss of trust.
Former President Donald Trump called on his supporters in the House of Representatives to support him and urged him not to turn “a great victory into a giant and embarrassing defeat,” he wrote in a message posted on his Truth Social Network account.
For his part, the current president, Joe Biden, criticized the Republicans’ inability to choose the new leader, describing their public struggles as embarrassing for the country.
The House of Representatives — with the authority of reds (the color that distinguishes them) since the November 8 midterm elections — continues to try to lift the ban on voting, though it’s not clear how McCarthy will convince the six Republicans who voted against him. So support it.
The ongoing impasse leaves the House in a bind as lawmakers must first choose a speaker before moving on to other business in the new Congress.
Democrats stood united behind New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who assured that his colleagues were “united and committed to staying in Washington for as long as it takes to host Congress.”
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