Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected as the new speaker of the US House of Representatives in a dramatic post-midnight ballot on Saturday, after days of intense negotiations and a series of humiliating defeats to finally capture the gavel on a historic 15th attempt.
McCarthy, 57, needed a simple majority to be elected as the speaker, who presides over the business and is second in line to the presidency. He defeated 52-year-old Hakeem Sekou Jeffries by 216 to 212 votes, in the 15th round of votes that went past midnight. McCarthy replaces 82-year-old Nancy Pelosi of the Democratic Party, which lost the majority in the House after the November 8 midterm elections. The Republicans won 222 seats in the 435-member House against 212 seats secured by the Democrats.
President Joe Biden congratulated McCarthy on his election as the Speaker and said that this was a time to govern responsibly. “This is a time to govern responsibly and to ensure that we're putting the interests of American families first,” he said.