While there were rumblings of some deliberation and dealmaking behind closed doors concerning getting Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) the votes he needs to become Speaker of the House. So far, three Floridians, Rep.-elect Byron Donalds (R-FL), Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) have already made interesting changes with their votes compared to yesterday’s proceedings.
After receiving a surprising nomination for the Speakership from Rep.-elect Chip Roy (R-TX), Rep.-elect Donalds became just the second African American to be nominated for the position, and the first ever nominated by Republicans. However, just two days later, Donalds has switched his vote to McCarthy which inches him closer to the coveted seat.
Rep.-elect Gaetz has once again nominated Rep.-elect Jim Jordan (R-OH) after nominating former President Donald Trump (R) yesterday. These nominations were more of a ceremonious act, as Gaetz knows that they don’t have nearly enough votes to get to the needed number of votes: 218.
Moreover, Rep.-elect Paulina Luna shocked the House floor as she switched her vote to McCarthy after 11 rounds of voting for the Freedom Caucus candidate.
McCarthy is making inroads with the more conservative parts of the party. He will need either more votes from the Freedom Caucus or a reconfiguration of members attending in order to obtain the majority of votes.
There were 7 total Republican votes for various candidates other than McCarthy. Yesterday there were 20.
This is a developing story.
