Kevin McCarthy finally elected House speaker after 15 rounds of voting spread across four days

Republican Kevin McCarthy finally secured the support he needed and was elected as the Speaker of US House of Representatives after the lawmakers cast their votes for a record 15th round and much chaos. The last round of voting took place shortly after results of the 14th round were declared.McCarthy had been expected finally to win a majority to lead the Republican-controlled House, but his victory lap was derailed by a right-wing rebellion in its own ranks that extended the contest to one of the longest in US history.

McCarthy had been hoping to secure the gavel in the 14th round before midnight Friday, but suffered a shock defeat amid Republican infighting as he came up short by just one vote out of more than 400 cast.

In the 14th round of voting McCarthy got 216 votes while Democratic candidate Hakeem Jeffries got 212. Andy Biggs received support from 2 representatives, as did Jim Jordan. According to these results, McCarthy was just one vote shy of the number that he required to clinch victory.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Six Republicans withheld their votes or voted for other candidates, hours after McCarthy had predicted that "It's going to happen."

In hopeof securing enough votes to win, he had called an hours-long recess for the chamber, with lawmakers returning at 10 p.m. (0300 GMT Saturday) for another round of voting.

The decisive moment came when hardline Representative Matt Gaetz withheld his vote from McCarthy. Members of the party leadership hovered over the Florida Republican for several minutes trying to persuade him to change his mind before admitting defeat.

The prolonged contest left the House rudderless after a week of repeated votes that highlighted Republicans' divisions and raised questions about their ability to govern. The chamber has not seen this level of congressional dysfunction since 1859.

After McCarthy clinched victory, US President Joe Biden vowed to work with every lawmaker including the Republicans.

"I am prepared to work with Republicans when I can," he said. "This is a time to govern responsibly and to ensure that we're putting the interests of American families first."

(With inputs from agencies)

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE