Republican Kevin McCarthy elected House speaker on 15th vote

After four days of voting, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has been elected as speaker of the House for the 118th U.S. Congress. McCarthy, who is from California, won over key Republicans in the 15th vote, with 216 votes to the 212 votes of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is from New York. In the vote, held just after midnight Saturday morning, several Republican  representatives flipped their votes from other candidates to voting simply present, which lowered the number of supporting votes he needed. His installment in the House is the first since 1923 to have extended beyond one vote.

What does this mean for the House? It means that new members may be sworn in, and the House can pass a set of rules. McCarthy has promised to introduce to the floor bills aiming to reduce inflation, move America towards energy independence, and maintain support for national security.

Dig Deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about the Freedom Caucus’s battle with McCarthy to prevent him from becoming speaker.