7th January, 2023
After 15 rounds of voting, Rep. Kevin McCarthy was eventually elected the Speaker of the United States, U.S House of Representatives late Friday.
McCarthy, who thus became the 55th Speaker of the US House was elected after he made series of concessions to members of Republican Party whose refusal to support his led to the 15 rounds of voting which began on Tuesday.
McCarthy secured 216 of the 428 votes cast late on Friday to beat the Democrats’ Hakeem Jeffries got 212 votes to get the gavel
Six Republicans withheld their votes – not backing McCarthy as leader, but also not voting for another contender in the election described as historic as it was the first time the process of electing a speaker took more than one ballot in more than 100 years.
McCarthy, in his new role as speaker, administered the oath to members of the 118th Congress and kicked off the start of legislative business in the lower chamber after a marathon speaker vote since Tuesday.
“That was easy, huh?” McCarthy said as he took the podium following chants of “U-S-A” from his caucus. “I never thought we’d get up here.”
McCarthy touched on spending, inflation, the national debt, jobs and immigration in his first speech as speaker.
“My father always told me, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish and now we need to finish strong for the American people,” he said.
Republicans narrowly gain control of the House after a midterm election performance in November.
The Californian lawmaker replaces Nancy Pelosi, who announced plans to step down from the Democratic House leadership last month.
Jeffries, a New York Democrat, will serve as House minority leader in the new Congress.
McCarthy had promised to use his new role to upset the Democratic agenda and intensify oversight over the administration of President Joe Biden.