Free Republic

Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Kevin McCarthy lost for a fifth time his bid to lead Republicans as speaker of the House on Wednesday. During the fourth and fifth ballots on Wednesday, McCarthy received 201 votes, while the Democratic Nominee, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, received 212 votes from Democrats as he did in each vote on Tuesday. However, this time it was Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, instead of Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who took votes away from McCarthy. Donalds received 20 votes on the fourth and fifth ballots. Opposition to McCarthy has been growing with each ballot. A total of...

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was failing anew to win the House speakership Wednesday in dramatic fourth round voting as the chamber plunged into Day Two of the new Congress with no end in site to the political chaos Republicans have created. McCarthy fared no better than he did on opening day ballots as conservative holdouts rejected him with their votes. No minds appeared to have changed, and he was falling far short of the 218 votes typically needed to win the gavel. The California Republican vowed to keep fighting despite losing in multiple rounds of voting that threw the new...