Speaker of the House election live updates: After eleven votes standoff continues

House adjourns until tomorrow with no resolution

Kevin McCarthy, who has led Republicans in the House since 2019, has failed to convince 20 of his colleagues that he is conservative enough to hold the position.

See you folks tomorrow.

McCarthy loses 11th vote

Surely his authority is shot to bits at this point?

Voting to continue Thursday night

Despite some expecting a recess after the tenth vote on the position of speaker, McCarthy was nominated by Rep. French Hill.

It will be the fifth vote today.

McCarthy loses tenth vote on the House floor

It is being reported that the Republican representative is set to lose the TENTH vote on the position of speaker.

It is the longest race for speaker in 164 years.

Stalemate after nine votes. This is the longest Speaker election since 1856.

Ninth vote in three days begins. Will 9 be the lucky number like in 1923?

It's all about the numbers. Ninth vote to commence shortly.

Hakeem Jeffries gets 212 votes again. Stalemate continues after eight votes

Kevin McCarthy loses for the eighth time. Possible ninth vote today

Hakeem Jeffries nominated for eighth time for the Democratic Party

Rep. Matt Gaetz votes for Donald Trump. The circus continues.

Kevin McCarthy fails for the seventh time to become Speaker

Big push for McCarthy from Rep. John James

Despite being the seventh person to give a variation of the pro-McCarthy speech in the last three days, Rep. James managed to say something different and may have managed to push some wavering Republicans in McCarthy's direction. In an impassioned speech James reiterated to the GOP caucus that they needed to unify and allow McCarthy to take up the gavel on behalf of the new majority party in the House. 

And we're underway...

Rep. John James of Michigan has risen to nominate - yep, you guessed it - Rep. Kevin McCarthy for the role of House Speaker. Lets see what names follow...

Rep. McCarthy confident of finding Speaker solution

"I'm confident we'll get to the solution, otherwise we won't be successful,"

"I think we're having good discussions and I think everybody wants to find a solution. The good thing about is we work this all out at the beginning so the rest of the Congress will be very productive."

WATCH: Live footage of the third day of House Speaker ballots

We'll be keeping you up to date with all the latest developments from the Capitol as Rep. Kevin McCarthy tries a seventh bid to be named Speaker of the House. Here's live footage from the chamber as day three of Speaker ballots gets underway in the House...

Clear opposition to McCarthy remains

One of the most vocal opponents to McCarthy for the Speaker's chair, Rep. Bob Good, reiterated his stance to reporters on his way to the Capitol this morning. Rep. Kevin McCarthy can only afford to lose four members of his caucus and still be named Speaker, and it seems like there are currently enough 'Never McCarthy' members to deny him the gavel. 

McCarthy could lose "credibility" if there's "no deal"

On his way into the House this morning, Rep. Ken Buck told reporters that he would need to see some movement from the holdout members of the GOP caucus to convince him to stick with Rep. Kevin McCarthy. If not, Buck warned that he and others may be forced to consider other options. 

US NEWS

Who else is in the running for Speaker of the House? Alternative candidates to Kevin McCarthy

McCarthy was the clear favourite to be elected as the new Speaker of the House, but he suffered 20 defections from members of his own party. Across six votes he has not yet got close to securing the 218 votes required to be named Speaker.

This very public show of defiance from the right wing of the GOP has raised questions about McCarthy’s ability to lead in the coming session of Congress. With such a slim majority in the House, the Republicans can afford to lose just four votes from their 222-member caucus and retain a majority in votes.

Confidence in McCarthy's bid may be starting to wane in some sections of the GOP, but are there any alternatives?

Read more

Chaos in the chamber as Speaker votes are set to resume

At midday the House of Representatives will resume with the balloting for the third day of votes for the Speaker. For the first time in 100 years the Speaker was not elected in a single vote and there have now been six unsuccessful ballots. 

Here's a look back at the last two days in the Capitol...

Threat of further defections from GOP lawmakers

Perhaps the most worrying fact for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, as he reflects on the past two days in the House, is that he has been slowly losing votes as his credibility begins to ebb away. He still holds the vast majority of the Republican caucus and the endorsement of Trump, but there are the first signs that more lawmakers may start to look for alternatives unless he can turn things around. 

US NEWS

House Speaker vote: What happens if McCarthy can’t get the votes he needs? The voting system explained

The new term of Congress was supposed to begin 3 January once the important offices of state were filled. One of these is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, important for this part of Congress as the Republicans regained control of the chamber for 2023.

The election has been caused by the stepping down of Democrat Nancy Pelosi, although with a Republican-controlled House there was no chance of her being reelected.

But after two days, six votes, and no consensus option found, here's what could happen if McCarthy cannot reach the required 218 votes...

Rep. Boebert clashes with Hannity on Fox

In a very public split from Donald Trump, Rep. Lauren Boebert has ignored the former President's call for the Republican caucus to vote for McCarthy for Speaker. This has drawn the ire of Fox News host Sean Hannity who, in one particularly heated exchange, said that interviewing Boebert was "like speaking to a liberal".

McCarthy even faced opposition to adjournment yesterday

This ordeal has been a chastening one for Rep. Kevin McCarthy and one that serves to highlight the disparate nature of the Republican caucus. After failing to reach the required 218 votes in six consecutive votes his supporters requested another adjournment on Wednesday, to allow McCarthy to further his cause behind closed doors. 

However, apparently keen to make him suffer, four anti-McCarthy GOP lawmakers voted against the motion to adjourn. Those lawmakers were:

Rep. Andy Biggs

Rep. Lauren Boebert 

Rep. Matt Gaetz

Rep.-elect Eli Crane

What did Trump saying about the House Speaker vote?

“Some really good conversations took place last night, and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House members to VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY."

“REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT.”

What can McCarthy offer in concessions?

Having failed on six occassions to secure the votes of a defiant block of right wing Republicans, Rep. Kevin McCarthy appears to have buckled and looks set to offer significant concessions. The group of 20 Freedom Caucus-aligned lawmakers have asked for greater involvement in important House committees and rule changes to make it much easier to remove a sitting Speaker.

Welcome to AS USA!

Good afternoon and welcome to our coverage of the third day of votes for the Speaker of the House of Representatives. As the Republican leader in the House, Rep. Kevin McCarthy was the clear favourite to secure the required 218 votes but he has faced a rebellion from members of the Freedom Caucus who are demanding concessions.