Top Republican politician Kevin McCarthy has been defeated in further votes in his bid to become speaker of the US House of Representatives.
A group of right-wing members of his own Republican Party on Wednesday continued to oppose Mr McCarthy for the position as the House remained deadlocked on the issue for a second day.
Mr McCarthy received 201 votes in the first two ballots on Wednesday, one fewer than in the final of three ballots on Tuesday in which he failed to receive the majority support needed to succeed Democrat Nancy Pelosi as House speaker. A total of 20 Republicans again voted against Mr McCarthy and instead backed another member of the party for the post.
All 212 Democrats voted for Hakeem Jeffries, their new leader in the House.
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Yet Mr McCarthy was not giving up, even after the fourth, fifth and sixth ballots produced no better outcome and he was left trying to call off a night-time session. Even that was controversial, as the House voted 216-214 — amid shouting and crowding — to adjourn for the night.
“No deal yet,” Mr McCarthy said shortly before that as he left a lengthy closed-door dinner-time meeting with key holdouts and his own allies. “But a lot of progress.”
Mr McCarthy, who has been the Republican Party leader in the House, was defeated in three votes on Tuesday for the position of speaker before the process was adjourned for the day. It was the first time in a century that the House had been unable to elect a speaker after a single vote.
On Wednesday former president Donald Trump on his social media platform urged Republicans in the House to vote for Mr McCarthy, who he said “will do a good job, and maybe even a great job”.
However some of Mr Trump’s strongest supporters are among the fiercest critics of Mr McCarthy.
Mr McCarthy signalled he would not drop out of the contest.
“I’m staying until we win,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “I know the path.”
However between Tuesday and the Wednesday, Mr McCarthy did not secure any additional support.
However his hopes suffered a significant blow after Republicans had a disappointing midterm election in November.
Republicans secured a narrow majority in the House but this meant virtually all of the 222 members of the party would be required to back him in the vote for speaker.
The role of speaker is a hugely important position in the US political system, directly in the line of succession to the White House after the vice-president.
The operation of the US House of Representatives remains frozen while the impasse over the election of a speaker. In the absence of a speaker, members of the House cannot be sworn in and legislation cannot be passed.
