GOP guide Kevin McCarthy eventually won the election early Saturday morning as Speaker of the House in a historic 15 choice fight.
The California representative secured the position after making major concessions to far-right members of the House of Representatives.
McCarthy, who could only afford to lose four votes, took about five days to garner the necessary number of supporters to become Speaker of the House – a historic record.
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What happened?: At one point during the week, more than 20 members of the Republican House of Representatives opposed McCarthy – who was considered the favorite – in a dramatic back-and-forth.
It all ended early Saturday morning when he managed to influence enough holdouts to pass the required voting threshold.
Victory, barely a feather in its cap, allows Congress to carry on – as usual.
As long as there was a stalemate, the battle for the speakership froze the House and prevented new MPs from being sworn in.
representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, one of the most vocal McCarthy opponents, who called the ongoing five-day debate “healthy,” paved the way to his election by voting present.
representative Matt Gaetzperhaps the most staunch of McCarthy’s opponents, maintained a “current” vote.
At the end was the final vote count 216 for McCarthy and 212 for the Democratic representative Hakeem Jeffries from New York.
Why it matters: This week has not looked good for the GOP, which holds a slim majority over the Democrats in the House of Representatives.
“I find it embarrassing,” the Georgia congressman said. Marjorie Taylor Greene said. “I’ve been here without bodies for two years and I’m really ready to get to work.”
This was the longest general election since 1859.
The chaotic week-long process underscores how divided the 118th Congress is.
Whether the Republican holdouts, some of whom were supporters of the former president donald trump and the Capitol Uprisingwill work with established Republicans…
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