Kevin McCarthy, the Republican congressman from California, lost a historic loss today (Tuesday) in the vote for the chairman of the new majority in the House of Representatives.
Against a background of strong opposition from within the ranks of the Republican Party, McCarthy failed to gain the 218 votes required to receive the position.
The last time the candidate for the position of majority leader in the House of Representatives did not receive the necessary votes in the first vote of the members of his party was a hundred years ago, in 1923.
A second round of voting was held shortly after the first vote - in which McCarthy also lost.
Estimates are that the process will continue into the night, because the rules of the house dictate that votes continue to be held until someone accumulates 218 votes.
The only sure thing is that the rest of the activity in Congress is delayed while the process continues.
Not conservative enough.
Kevin McCarthy (Photo: GettyImages)
Tonight's vote was held against the background of the transition of control of the House of Representatives to the Republicans from the Democrats, following the results of the mid-term elections held in November.
The first thing on the agenda was the traditional - and usually symbolic - vote on the new House Majority Leader.
The opposition from the conservative party to McCarthy led to the fact that he managed to gain only 203 votes, compared to the required majority of 218 out of 435 votes of the members of the House of Representatives;
19 Republicans voted for other candidates from within the party in an unusual rebellious move.
Against McCarthy stood a series of radical Republicans who believe that, although he received the support of former President Donald Trump, he is not conservative or tough enough to fight the Democrats.
"Kevin McCarthy does not have a majority of 218 votes to become Speaker," Republican Congressman Scott Perry said earlier in an interview with the AP.
"Unless something dramatic changes, this is the direction we are going."
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