Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) failed to secure the necessary 218 votes required to secure the House Speakership, sending voting for the position into a second round for the first time in 100 years.
House Republicans officially took majority at 12pm Eastern Time on Tuesday when the 118th Congress convened, at which point McCarthy, who had been Minority Leader in the 117th Congress, hoped to become Speaker. However, he only secured 203 votes in round one.
However, Rep. Paul Gosar (R) nominated fellow Arizonan Rep. Andy Biggs (R), throwing a spoiler into the mix. Biggs secured 10 votes in the first round while other Republicans gathered nine more votes, sending the House into a second round of voting for the first time since 1923.
Democrats, meanwhile, threw its total 212 votes behind Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who had been unanimously elected by his party as House Minority Leader on November 30, becoming the first Black party leader in either chamber.
