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McCarthy Says He Will Be Elected Speaker Tonight — UPDATE: McCarthy Loses by One Vote — UPDATE 2: House to Hold 15th Ballot — McCarthy Wins

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is confident in his chances of becoming speaker of the House Friday night after the lower chamber voted to adjourn to allow several more hours of talks with the six remaining Republican holdouts.

McCarthy told reporters he’ll be able to convince at least two to back him and that he’s looking forward to stories calling him the “comeback kid” when he pulls it off. He made up major ground Friday, the fourth day of voting, when 14 of the original 20 members of his party blocking his path to the speakership came over to his side.

“When we come back tonight, we’ll have the votes to get this done once and for all,” McCarthy said while exiting the House chamber Friday afternoon. “It just reminds me of what my father always told me: It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.”

The House will reconvene at 10 p.m. Friday night. The six lawmakers who voted against him on the most recent ballot are Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Bob Good (R-VA), and Matt Rosendale (R-MT). Gaetz, Boebert, and Biggs have been the most vocal anti-McCarthy voices in the party for months, meaning he may focus his efforts on Good and Crane.

The 14 who decided to support him did so after days of negotiations in which he agreed to most of their demands for how the House should operate under the new Republican majority. As McCarthy was working on a deal with them last night, he disagreed that his concession to allow a single member to force a vote to oust a sitting speaker would weaken his speakership, saying he “would only be a weaker speaker if I were afraid of it” and that he’s “very fine” with the possibility.

Democrats have unanimously voted for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on every ballot. Friday marked the first time McCarthy gained a plurality of votes over Jeffries.

UPDATE:

Kevin McCarthy late Friday failed to succeed in his 14th bid for House speaker after indicating confidence in a victory and two of his GOP opponents appeared to clear the way for a victory by voting “present.”

When the dust settled, McCarthy had 216 votes, but needed 217. Two of his most vocal opponents, Rep.-elects Matt Gaetz of Florida and Lauren Boebert of California, voted “present” which was aimed at lowering the minimum majority needed to win.

But with only 432 votes cast, the McCarthy needed 217 to clinch it, and fell short by a single vote.

The result seemed to surprise McCarthy and his team, many of whom started an intense discussion with Gaetz in an apparent attempt to sway him to change his vote to one in support of McCarthy.

Republicans initially sought to adjourn, but then appeared to indicate another vote would get McCarthy the win.

UPDATE 2:

McCarthy won 216-212, convincing enough of his GOP colleagues who had voted against him to support his bid. The six remaining Republicans who withheld their support for McCarthy up to the final ballot — Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Eli Crane of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia and Matt Rosendale of Montana — voted present.

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