Kevin McCarthy was three votes shy of securing the speaker’s gavel Friday afternoon, the fourth day of voting, after flipping 14 of 20 Republicans who previously opposed him.
That number would drop to two if the McCarthy supporters who were absent Friday afternoon, Ken Buck of Colorado and Wesley Hunt of Texas, return to vote later on Friday evening when the chamber will reconvene.
While McCarthy’s vote total crept up significantly Friday, lawmakers still formally rejected his candidacy for the 13th time in four days. After that 13th ballot, the House voted 220-212 to adjourn until 10 p.m. McCarthy told reporters that when the chamber reconvenes, he’ll have enough votes to be elected.
