January 3, 2023 Latest on the new Congress and House speaker vote

By Elise Hammond, Aditi Sangal, Maureen Chowdhury and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 10:57 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023
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2:44 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023

GOP Rep. Bob Good says McCarthy opponents will "never cave" and he will vote for Jordan on next ballot

From CNN's Ted Barrett

Rep. Kevin McCarthy critic GOP Rep. Bob Good said he thought his allies would get 10-15 "no" votes against McCarthy on the first ballot and was pleased to get 19. 

He said he expects more "no" votes on the second ballot.

“He is never going to be speaker. We will never cave. We will never vote for him. The sooner he pulls out, for the good of the country, for the good of the Congress, for the good of the conference, the better everyone it is and we can move together to find who the best person is who can get 218,” he told reporters off the House floor. 

He said he will vote for Rep. Jim Jordan on the next ballot and expects Jordan and others to get more votes going forward.  

2:30 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz nominates Rep. Jim Jordan for speakership

From CNN's Jessica Dean and Annie Grayer

Rep. Matt Gaetz nominates Rep. Jim Jordan to be House speaker.
Rep. Matt Gaetz nominates Rep. Jim Jordan to be House speaker. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz just nominated Rep. Jim Jordan to be House speaker.

Jordan, in an effort to show unity, nominated McCarthy in this second round of voting. 

Gaetz supported Rep. Andy Biggs in the first round of voting.

2:36 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023

Rep. Jim Jordan calls for Republicans to "rally around" McCarthy

Rep. Jim Jordan delivers remarks from the House floor on Tuesday.
Rep. Jim Jordan delivers remarks from the House floor on Tuesday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan called on his party to "rally around" Rep. Kevin McCarthy who failed to receive a majority of the vote for House speaker on the first ballot.

Six GOP lawmakers voted for Jordan for House speaker, drawing some votes away from McCarthy.

Now, there is a second round of voting – and Jordan is a candidate after he was nominated by Rep. Matt Gaetz.

The 19 total Republicans who voted against McCarthy in the first ballot are considering all voting for Jordan on the second ballot, sources tell CNN.

“I think Kevin McCarthy is the right guy for us to lead us," Jordan said, nominating McCarthy.

“I like his fight, I like his tenacity," he added, saying, "We need to rally around him"

The Ohio lawmaker said the differences among Republicans "pale in comparison" to the differences the party has "between us and the left."

“So we had better come together” and fight, he said, naming several GOP agenda items including legislative priorities and oversight.

Members can vote for anyone, and they can protest by skipping the vote or voting “present.” If enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop below 218.

CNN's Annie Grayer, Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju contributed reporting to this post.

2:45 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023

Here are the 19 Republicans who voted against McCarthy for House speaker on the first ballot

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the votes needed to win on the first ballot in the speaker election on Tuesday, setting in motion a messy once-in-a-century floor fight. 

Since McCarthy did not win a majority of those present and voting for a candidate in the initial round of voting, the House moved to a second ballot. And members can keep voting until someone wins the majority. The tally of the first vote for McCarthy was 203. Another 19 Republicans voted for other candidates (see list below).

Republican lawmakers who voted for Rep. Andy Biggs:

Bob Good, Scott Perry, Matt Rosendale, Paul Gosar, Ralph Norman, Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Andrew Clyde, Phil Crane and Matt Gaetz

Republican lawmakers who voted for Rep. Jim Jordan:

Andy Ogles, Lauren Boebert, Michael Cloud, Anna Paulina Luna, Mary Miller and Keith Self 

Republican lawmakers who voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin: Andy Harris 

Republican lawmakers who voted for Jim Banks: Josh Brecheen

Republican lawmakers who voted for Rep. Byron Donalds: Chip Roy

2:27 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023

JUST IN: No House speaker elected after McCarthy falls short on votes

From CNN staff

Kevin McCarthy, left, listens as votes are cast for House speaker on Tuesday.
Kevin McCarthy, left, listens as votes are cast for House speaker on Tuesday. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to win a majority for the House speakership on the first ballot amid opposition from his own party. The vote is poised to go to a second ballot for the first time in 100 years.

The tally of the first vote for McCarthy was 203. Another 19 Republicans voted for other candidates 

"Vote again," that’s the plan, according to a source familiar with the next steps.

If another ballot is needed after that, it is not clear if Congress will recess the chamber or if members will continue voting.

Remember: McCarthy does not technically need 218 votes to become speaker. A majority of those present and voting is required to get the speakership, which is usually 218 lawmakers. But if enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was elected with 216 votes in 2021.

Here is a look at the first ballot vote:

CNN's Manu Raju contributed reporting to this post.

2:43 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023

GOP are lying to themselves in thinking that the MAGA wing is helping grow the party, CNN's Abby Phillip says 

Republicans seem to be lying to themselves in thinking that "nurturing and feeding the MAGA wing" is helping grow the party, CNN's Abby Phillip said.

"What's striking to me is he has not really taken them on and if you listen to Elise Stefanik's nominating speech for Kevin McCarthy she was touting that they had grown their majority — yeah they grew their majority probably, mostly, because of redistricting. They were supposed to have done so much better," Phillip explained.

Republicans now only hold a narrow majority in the House and that is the main reason why today's House leadership vote is relying on margins, she said.

She continued, "So they're kind of lying to themselves about what happened back in November and it's contributing to the problem. This idea that just kind of feeding and nurturing the MAGA wing is producing an expanding majority is not actually what is happening."

Watch the moment here:

2:05 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023

Kevin McCarthy returns to the House floor and talks to lawmakers

From CNN's Annie Grayer, Jessica Dean and Melanie Zanona

Kevin McCarthy, left, talks on the House floor on Tuesday.
Kevin McCarthy, left, talks on the House floor on Tuesday. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

The vote for House speaker has not officially been gaveled yet.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy briefly went to the cloakroom when members were done voting and now is back on the floor talking to members.

Members he spoke to included Tom Cole, Tim Burchett and Mike Turner.

2:49 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023

Former GOP lawmaker Charlie Dent: I don't see how McCarthy gets enough votes for the speakership 

Charile Dent, a former Republican congressman, said that he doesn't see a clear path for Rep. Kevin McCarthy to win the House speakership as he appears to suffer a defeat on the first speaker ballot.

"They can keep having these votes, but once you vote this way, it's very hard to change your vote. So, I don't see how he gets there," Dent old CNN's Jake Tapper, noting how McCarthy's efforts to court the right-wing members of his caucus did not work.

"What can he give these folks that he hasn't already tried to give them? I don't think there's anything he can give them. It will never be enough. It seems so personal. They don't — they just don't want him so I don't think there's anything he can do. No concession he can make. There's no more appeasement that he can do to win some of these folks over."

A GOP source who is not in the Freedom Caucus told CNN: “I just don't know how he gets there. They (Freedom Caucus) smell blood. He gave in to demand after demand, none of it was enough. In fact, he lost votes. These folks don’t want to get to yes.” 

CNN's Jamie Gangel contributed reporting to this post.

Watch the video:

1:56 p.m. ET, January 3, 2023

Sen. Mitch McConnell becomes longest-serving party leader in Senate history

From CNN's Ali Zaslav and Ted Barrett

(Senate TV)
(Senate TV)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell celebrated becoming the longest serving party leader — of either party — in Senate history on Tuesday.

He has now surpassed former Sen. Mike Mansfield, a Democrat from Montana, who was the record holder.  

“The greatest honor of my career is representing the Commonwealth of Kentucky in this chamber and fighting for my fellow Kentuckians,” McConnell said in remarks on the Senate floor, as he begins his 9th Congress. “But the second-greatest honor is the trust that my fellow Republican senators have placed in me to lead our diverse conference and help them achieve their goals.”

This comes as the 118th Congress across both chambers is being sworn in on Tuesday.