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Donald Trump and Kevin McCarthy on the campaign trail together in 2020
Three days, 11 rounds of voting and countless popcorn emojis later, and the vote to determine the next Speaker of the House is still no closer to a result.
Now, this age-old legislative procedure has suddenly become must-see television. How long can it last? Who will challenge the next Kevin McCarthy?
Here are our answers to some of the most pressing questions on the internet.
Can Trump Become Speaker?
On Thursday, the vote was not for Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, nor for another member of Congress, but for Donald Trump, the former president of the United States.
Mr Trump endorsed Mr McCarthy for chairman. But that didn’t stop dissident Florida congressman Matt Goetz from giving his token protest for the former president. This has left many wondering… can they even do this?
Technically, yes. The speaker can be anyone in the United States.
However, this is highly unlikely. Never before has anyone but a sitting member of the House been voted Speaker. However, Mr. Trump was nowhere near the 218 votes he needed to win.
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Watch: Republican Goetz Nominates Trump for Speaker
When was the last time electing a speaker took this long?
Mr. McCarthy made history, but for the wrong reasons. For the first time in a century, someone vying for the role of Speaker of the House of Representatives did not win in the first round of voting.
In 1923, Frederic Gillette was elected to office after a few days and nine votes. The longest deadlock was previously resolved in 1860 after 44 rounds of voting.
But the all-time record was set in the 1855-56 election, which is generally seen as the most contested opposition of speakers in American history.
On this occasion, it took 133 votes over two months before Nathaniel Banks became Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 34th Congress.
Who is Byron Donalds?
Mr. Donalds and fellow Democrat Hakeem Jeffries made history this week by becoming the first black members of Congress ever to be nominated for speakership.
Mr. Donalds is a Trump supporter, a staunch opponent of abortion and a fierce defender of gun ownership.
The father-of-three, who was raised by a single mother, has already spoken about how he turned his life around after a drugs arrest as a young man.
The 44-year-old congressman, who served two years in the House of Representatives, voted against certifying Joe Biden’s 2021 presidential victory.
What happens if no one wins a majority?
No business can be transacted in the House — not even the swearing in of new members of Congress — until a Speaker is elected.
As Mr McCarthy failed to win a majority, members must continue to vote until a winner emerges.
Mr McCarthy vowed to keep fighting even if he did not win immediately.
And there’s no other obvious contender for the presidency — no Republican contender has received more than 20 votes so far.
What is the dispute between McCarthy and Goetz?
Matt Goetz was one of the leading forces behind the effort to block Mr. McCarthy. Like many of the 20 Republicans, some of his objections are political.
The Florida congressman has called for concessions on how the House of Representatives operates, reportedly lobbied to chair the powerful House Armed Services Committee and called for a well-funded special task force to investigate the FBI and other government agencies.
For Mr. Goetz, however, objections to Mr. McCarthy appear to be personal. He blasted the California congressman for already moving into the Speaker’s office, calling him a “slut” and describing him as the “biggest alligator” in the Washington swamp.
Part of Mr. Goetz’s dislike of the House Republican leader may stem from his feelings that Mr. McCarthy did not do enough to defend him when he was the subject of a House ethics investigation. representatives and a Justice Department investigation into sex-trafficking allegations, an investigation that was dropped last year.
Who is employee Cheryl Johnson?
Ms. Johnson, the 117th secretary of the US House of Representatives who presides over those proceedings, has become an unlikely celebrity in the political drama paralyzing the House. In the House this week, some members accidentally called her Madam Speaker instead of Madam Secretary.
Ms. Johnson, a New Orleans native and law graduate, was first appointed to the clerkship in 2018 by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The nomination followed two decades in the House, serving as an aide to both Democrats and Republicans.
The little-known position is elected by lawmakers every two years when the House convenes for a new Congress. The work is primarily administrative, with duties such as certifying the passage of all bills and resolutions from the House.
There are historical moments, too: Ms. Johnson was twice tasked with hand-delivering articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump.
What does the speaker do?
If used effectively, the position of Speaker of the House is one of the most powerful in Washington.
Depending on the party composition of Congress, the Speaker can make or break the US President’s agenda, thwart opposition and spearhead his party’s biggest legislative initiatives.
The Speaker is both traditionally and historically a sitting member of the majority party in the House. But this is not a constitutional requirement.
The speaker has almost complete control over the hall. They set the House’s legislative agenda, oversee committee assignments, determine the voting and work calendar, and are responsible for keeping their party members united behind major initiatives.
How is the chairman elected?
The Speaker of the House is elected by a simple majority of the voting members of the House. In this case, that means the Speaker must receive 218 votes, or half (plus one) of the 435 elected members of the House.
Although the House has had electronic voting since 1973, voting for the Speaker has traditionally been by roll call. Each representative is called by name and they say out loud who they are voting for. The votes are then counted by the Clerk of the House.
Technically, you only need the support of half of the elected members who vote for a candidate by roll to succeed. This means that a chairman can be elected by less than half of the total number of members if some of them do not turn up to vote or abstain (by calling “present” rather than the name of a candidate).
Several Republicans have voted “present” so far, making it easier for Mr McCarthy to get a majority – but not enough to make a real difference.
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