In 1923 the House of Representatives election lasted 9 rounds and in 1856 Congress was closed for 2 months

It didn’t go according to plan, at least for GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who became the first majority candidate for Speaker in 100 years not to win a first vote for the Hammer after losing 19 GOP hardliners.

McCarthy entered the chambers just after 12 p.m., posed for photos and received a standing ovation after being nominated by third-ranking Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who said he has what it takes to become House Republicans to lead.

But a challenge was quickly raised by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a conservative former Freedom Caucus leader who was nominated by another conservative to speak. At least 19 other Republicans had left McCarthy.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-CA) walks towards the House chambers of the US Capitol building on December 23, 2022 in Washington, DC.

McCarthy continues to face stubborn opposition from a small number of conservative lawmakers who, by a majority of 222 to 213, call themselves “the never-Kevin caucus,” which could well weaken his nomination, and they did. The final vote for McCarthy in the first election was 203 – 15 votes shy to be declared the winner.

The NKs are led by Biggs, Florida’s Matt Gaetz, Virginia’s Bob Good, Montana’s Matt Rosendale, and South Carolina’s Ralph Norman, among others.

The last speaker election beyond the first ballot was in 1923, when members made nine attempts to nominate Frederick Gillett (R-Mass.) to the position. The all-time record for how long a speaker vote lasted was in the mid-1850s — when it took lawmakers nearly two months and 133 ballots before selecting Nathaniel Banks, also of Massachusetts.

In the 234-year history of the House of Representatives, 14 speakers’ votes have required multiple votes, according to the Washington Post. With the rise of the two-party system, only two were added after 1856.

The House of Representatives can change election rules so a simple majority of the vote can become Speaker, but this could backfire for Republicans as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) could win a majority vote, meaning both the House as well as the Senate would do so under Democratic control – a highly unlikely scenario.

Frederick H. Gillett of Massachusetts was reelected Speaker of the House on December 5 when Republican insurgents voted for him for the first time after a deadlock two days earlier, on December 14, 1923

The last speaker election to go beyond the first ballot was in 1923, when members made nine attempts to elect Frederick Gillett (R-Mass.)

With the outcome of the House leadership election still pending, a speaker could be elected today after multiple attempts, delayed by days or weeks, or Congress could change the rules to get a simple majority.

Until a speaker is elected, Cheryl Lynn Johnson, Secretary of the United States House of Representatives and Pelosi-appointed person, will preside over the lower chamber.

The outgoing speaker will usually join the successor at the speaker’s chair, where he will pass the gavel from one party leader to another as a sign of the peaceful transfer of power. This time it’s Pelosi, the California Democrat who has held the gavel for the past four years.