The House will have to vote at least 12 times in its historic impasse on electing a speaker, after an 11th vote Thursday night settled nothing. Supporters of Rep. Kevin McCarthy's candidacy told reporters they're close to a deal with his Republican opponents, per the Washington Post, though no indication of a breakthrough was apparent. The GOP nevertheless won a vote to adjourn until noon Eastern on Friday, and McCarthy resumed meeting with Republicans. He's been granting concessions to the hardliners blocking him, but none budged on the 11th vote. Fellow Republican Byron Donalds again received the largest chunk of the approximately 20 votes of the anti-McCarthy camp, though Rep. Kevin Hern also nabbed a few and Rep. Matt Gaetz even cast a symbolic vote for former President Trump. (Axios notes that the Constitution does not stipulate that the speaker be a sitting member of Congress.)
"We're working on it," McCarthy said Thursday afternoon, in regard to a possible deal, per the Post. Meanwhile, the House remains without a speaker and in legislative limbo, unable to conduct business. One of the new concessions made by McCarthy, who needs 218 votes, was agreeing to allow a single member of the House to force a vote to oust a sitting speaker. McCarthy agreed to lower the threshold from five members to one—a move that would seriously compromise his power—but that apparently did not appease enough of his opponents on the right. A speaker election hasn't dragged on past nine rounds since 1859, per the New York Times, when the House picked a speaker on its 44th vote. This summary has been updated with the latest results. (More Kevin McCarthy stories.)
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