WASHINGTON — House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy fell short of the necessary number of votes to succeed Nancy Pelosi as speaker in the first two rounds of balloting Tuesday.
McCarthy became the first majority party leader in a century to fail to secure the speakership on the first ballot and failed to win any additional votes on a second ballot.
The repeated failure to elect a speaker is a clear sign of the divisions in the Republican Party. It is also a potential blow to California. If McCarthy prevails, Congress will hand off power and influence from a California Democrat to a California Republican. Instead, both leaders could be relegated to the back benches — one by choice and the other by force.
