Kevin McCarthy‘s chances of becoming Speaker improved Friday afternoon, as fourteen Republicans who voted against him eleven times flipped their votes to the embattled and diminished Republican Majority Leader on the twelfth vote.
The unofficial tally at the end of voting was McCarthy with 214, which is 14 more than he got on the last vote, and Hakeem Jeffries with 211. Jeffries lost one vote, Congressman-elect David Trone (D-MD) who is in surgery today, but returned to vote on the next ballot.
It’s unknown the scope of the deals McCarthy made overnight to get some of the “Never Kevin” Republicans to agree to support him.
“What exactly did Kevin McCarthy give away?” asked MSNBC’s Symone Sanders-Townsend.
CNN’s Manu Raju reports part of the overnight closed-door deal included, for the first time in history, an agreement by McCarthy to allow strings to be placed on raising the debt ceiling. Far right Republicans, including McCarthy, have said they want to reduce or eliminate spending on Medicare and Social Security.
McCarthy still does not have enough votes to grasp the Speaker’s gavel, but this is significant momentum.
Despite the movement forward, political strategist and former Republican Tim Miller calls the vote a “historic failure,” and suggested McCarthy will not be able to flip the original five “Never Kevins.” If he cannot, it would remain nearly impossible for McCarthy to become Speaker.
Earlier, Miller made clear his disdain for his former party.
Seven “Never Kevin” Republicans have still not budged. They are: Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Andy Harris, and Matt Rosendale.
A thirteenth vote is now underway as The Nation’s Elie Mystic observes, “after 12 losing votes McCarthy is finally where we all thought he’d be on Tuesday: unable to win a majority because there are 6 or 7 Republicans who hate him.”
This article has been updated with additional information.