Kevin McCarthy fell short of the required number of votes to secure the speakership in
ballots Friday but turned some detractors into votes favoring him, as he worked to hash
out a deal for the House's top job.
The 15 votes that switched in his favor in the 13th round of voting showed momentum in
Mr. McCarthy’s direction after days of a stalemate where the California Republican
repeatedly had lacked the votes to win the job, forcing the House to take several rounds
of alphabetical roll call votes in a tedious process that hadn't been done in more than
100 years.
“I’m not telling you we have an agreement. We’re in a good position and having
meetings,” Mr. McCarthy told Republicans on a conference call ahead of voting Friday,
according to multiple people.
The effort to elect a speaker has now stretched past the mark set in 1923, the only time
in the past century in which the speaker wasn’t elected on the first ballot. That year, it
took nine ballots over three days.