Kevin McCarthy LOSES inaugural election to become speaker: Republican rebels upset voting for GOP leader

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy lost the first round of voting for the House speaker on Tuesday, ushering in a dramatic session expected to last for hours.

Republicans in the 19th House of Representatives backed someone other than McCarthy on the first vote. It is the first time in a century that a speaker of the House of Representatives has not been elected in the first round.

It became apparent soon after roll-call voting began that McCarthy did not have the votes to win the gavel outright.

Audible gasps could be heard in the cavernous chamber of the House of Representatives as more than a dozen Republican legislators opposed the California legislature’s offer.

The process began with GOP conference chair Rep. Elise Stefanik nominating McCarthy, as expected, and new Democrat No. 3 Pete Aguilar nominating new 118th Congress Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Then far-right Rep. Paul Gosar lined up to nominate GOP Rep. Andy Biggs — one of the original five Republican lawmakers who would lead the opposition to McCarthy.

However, as the voting progressed, which was conducted in alphabetical order, a few members threw wildcards into the mix. Biggs received 10 of the rebel votes while nine members voted for someone else.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) receives applause from fellow Representatives at the start of the 118th Congress in the House of Representatives of the US Capitol building January 3, 2023 in Washington, DC

McCarthy hugged New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik after she officially nominated him

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert cast her ballot for GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, who himself voted for McCarthy and has said he doesn’t want the job.

New Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen cast his vote for Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, last year’s Republican Study Committee chair.

Another Conservative member, Rep. Andy Harris, voted for Lee Zeldin – who left Congress late last year to run unsuccessfully for governor of New York.

Conservative Rep. Chip Roy threw another twist on McCarthy’s potential rise, putting his support behind pro-Donald Trump Republican Rep. Byron Donalds.

It had previously been reported that Conservatives would offer Biggs as a spoiler for McCarthy to prevent him from reaching a majority threshold.

Voting occurs in rounds until a majority consensus is reached.

The GOP’s public disputes over their next House Speaker have gotten their majority in the House off to a rocky start.

With both McCarthy and Jeffries nominated as expected, far-right MP Paul Gosar (pictured) stood by to bring Conservative MP Andy Biggs’ name into the mix

Many of McCarthy’s dissidents also voted for Rep. Jim Jordan to speak — though the Ohio Republican claimed he didn’t want the job

House Republicans held a closed meeting before the vote, at which McCarthy made a final appeal to his critics, telling them he had “earned” the right to the Speaker’s gavel.

His impassioned remarks failed to sway his critics – namely the five GOP MPs who vowed never to support him – but it seemed to reassure allies.

Rep. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican who previously said he was willing to work with Democrats to find an alternate speaker if the McCarthy rebellion were successful, told DailyMail.com after the meeting: “I think so ‘We won’t make it after today.’

He said McCarthy “did a great job” in his appeal for the gavel.

McCarthy himself told reporters after the meeting that he could see “maybe 20” members of his own faction voting against him – at least in the first round.

“I will always fight to put the American people first. Quite a few individuals who want something for themselves. So we could have a fight on the floor,” the GOP leader said.

In the House of Representatives chamber before the Speaker’s vote, members milled around socializing — many with young children in tow.

McCarthy chattered confidently to members new and old and seemed unfazed by his struggle between the factions.