Full List of Republicans to Turn Backs on McCarthy in Second Day of Voting

Senior Writer

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A group of 21 House Republicans remained defiant against House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for the second day in a row, refusing to change their votes and leaving Congress stalled yet again after a fourth ballot vote.

On Wednesday, nearly two dozen Republican lawmakers voted against a McCarthy speakership on a fourth ballot, furthering the GOP leader's defeat as the Republican Party fails to unite behind one member to win the gavel. This time, McCarthy's dissenters backed Representative Byron Donalds for speaker.

The vote comes less than a day after more than a dozen of House Republicans rebuked McCarthy in three separate floor votes. The chaos has been a troubling sign for the GOP, raising questions about how the party will govern over the next two years if members can't even agree on who should lead the 118th Congress.

Without a new speaker, newly elected members of Congress cannot be sworn in and the new Republican majority is unable to begin working on its legislative agenda.

Kevin McCarthy Republicans Speaker — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaks during his weekly press conference at the U.S. Capitol on November 21, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Inset: Representatives Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz speak to reporters following a meeting... Alex Edelman/Kevin Dietsch/Stringer

On Tuesday, 19 House Republicans voted against McCarthy in the first ballot, nominating Representatives Andy Biggs, Jim Jordan, Jim Banks, Lee Zeldin and Byron Donalds instead. During the second ballot, all 19 of those went to Jordan, who urged his colleagues to vote for McCarthy in an impassioned speech before the second vote.

Then in the third ballot, not only did the 19 votes remain steadfast for Jordan, but Donalds—who voted for McCarthy the first two times—also flipped his vote for Jordan.

Members of Congress decided to recess for the evening before reconvening on Wednesday to vote again. While McCarthy spent the night working the phones and conjuring up the vote (he even earned a renewed endorsement from former President Donald Trump), his dissenters refused to budge.

When members returned on Wednesday, all the Jordan votes from Tuesday switched over to Donalds, who was nominated by Representative Chip Roy. Additionally, Representative Victoria Spartz casted the first "present" vote. She had previously voted for McCarthy, deflecting from the GOP leader and costing him another vote. McCarthy received 201 votes in the fourth ballot. He needs 218.

Here are the 21 House Republicans who voted against McCarthy on Wednesday: