For the first time in 100 years. . .

the election of Speaker of the House will go into a second round.

Kevin McCarthy, who obviously wants the position very badly, and who hitched his wagon to the Trump ass cart in an effort to get it, after first criticizing the January 6 Insurrection, failed to secure it as nineteen Republicans voted against him and for somebody else.

His opposition, ironically, has been from the arch right, some of whom voted for Andy Biggs.

Democrat Hakim Jeffries of New York had the most votes, at 212, with McCarthy at 203.  Under the rules, apparently, you need a majority of voting members, so Jeffries isn't it, in spite of beating out McCarthy.

Interestingly enough, for the readers of this blog, the last time this happened was in 1923, when Frederick Gillett became speaker after nine ballots.   In terms of overall Congressional history, however, this isn't that unique, and perhaps it should not be.  According to this chart by the Speaker of the House historian, it's happened quite a bit.

Congress (Years)                 Name                                                         State Final Ballot

3rd Congress (1793–1795) MUHLENBERG, Frederick Augustus Conrad PA 3rd

6th Congress (1799–1801) SEDGWICK, Theodore MA 2nd

9th Congress (1805–1807) MACON, Nathaniel NC 3rd

11th Congress (1809–1811) VARNUM, Joseph Bradley MA 2nd

16th Congress (1819–1821) TAYLOR, John W.1 NY 22nd

17th Congress (1821–1823) BARBOUR, Philip Pendleton VA 12th

19th Congress (1825–1827) TAYLOR, John W. NY 2nd

23rd Congress (1833–1835) BELL, John TN 10th

26th Congress (1839–1841) HUNTER, Robert Mercer Taliaferro VA 11th

30th Congress (1847–1849) WINTHROP, Robert Charles MA 3rd

31st Congress (1849–1851) COBB, Howell GA 63rd

34th Congress (1855–1857) BANKS, Nathaniel Prentice MA 133rd

36th Congress (1859–1861) PENNINGTON, William NJ 44th

68th Congress (1923–1925) GILLETT, Frederick Huntington MA 9th

McCarthy shouldn't get it, in my view, which differs from the view of those currently voting against him in the GOP (but probably coincides with Democrats who aren't voting for him).  His siding with Trump after the insurrection disqualifies him, in my view.