Kevin McCarthy wins speaker race bid after a grueling 4 days and 15 rounds of voting
(VOVWORLD) - After a stunning turn of events Friday night that forced a 15th ballot in the race for House speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader, finally secured enough votes shortly after midnight to become speaker of the House.
 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., smiles after winning the 15th vote in the House chamber as the House enters the fifth day trying to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, early Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023.ALEX BRANDON / AP |
His victory followed four days of voting and persistent negotiations with far-right members of the Republican conference, who kept a win at bay until the15th round of voting. The selection of a speaker now paves the way for those elected in November to take their oaths of office and the House to organize.
The chamber is set to vote Monday to adopt a rules package governing the 118th Congress, which includes some of the concessions made by McCarthy in talks with conservative holdouts.