Now it's Mike Johnson for speaker. We'll see what happens with that

Majority Whip Tom Emmer

Welcome to week four of “How the House of Representatives Turns,” in which we find out if there is any single Republican lawmaker whom 217 Republicans want to lead them. It promises to be another long day, as the conference weeds out the contenders for the job. Stay with us for live coverage.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 2:43:38 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

So they ended up with speaker designate #4 today, after all. We’ll all be back here again tomorrow to see if the ~20 members decide if Mike Johnson is the one.  

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 2:36:55 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

INSIDE THe ROOM — Johnson addresses room and says he wants to reach out to 19 absent members tonight.

No intention to conference. He wants to go to the floor “ASAP” with a floor vote at noon.

— Mica Soellner (@MicaSoellnerDC) October 25, 2023

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 2:28:00 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Now they say there are 20 missing, so maybe some came in when the voting started?

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 2:23:16 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

There are 25 members absent. Which is a lot. 

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 2:09:21 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

They're doing the roll call vote now where everybody has to say out loud if they’re going to vote for Johnson or not on the floor.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 2:03:16 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

And here’s the kiss of death for his bid.

Congratulations Speaker-designate @RepMikeJohnson!

— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) October 25, 2023

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 1:57:07 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Ok, Johnson got what he needed. But damn, that a lot of pissed off people who don’t want him.

THIRD BALLOT is in:
JOHNSON: 128
OTHER: 44 (McCarthy 43)
DONALDS: 29

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) October 25, 2023

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 1:54:23 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Once again, these people. 

Such much distrust, per sources

Rep. Drew Ferguson requested by unanimous consent to reveal who “other” votes were on this last ballot, per sources in the room, and 33 out of 34 were for McCarthy, while 1 was for Jordan.

Mark Green withdrew from the race after this happened

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 25, 2023

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 1:52:35 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

They’re counting the (checks notes) third round of votes now. (It’s been a long day.)

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 1:35:20 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

With just 204 voting, Johnson only needs to reach 103, which is certainly doable tonight. But with that 101 voting for other people—and a third of those for people who aren’t even on the ballot—his prospects for 217 are not rosy.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 1:32:52 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

SECOND BALLOT

JOHNSON -97
OTHER - 34
DONALDS - 31
GREEN - 21
WILLIAMS - 20

Green drops. Williams out.

Other continues to show strength, a bad sign for Johnson.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 25, 2023

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 1:12:29 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Doesn’t look like anybody is rushing to 217. That’s a whole lot of others, and just 204 votes total. 

NEWS -- FIRST BALLOT OF THE EVENING --

Johnson - 85
Donalds - 32
Green - 23
Williams - 21
Fleischmann - 10
Other - 31
Present - 2

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 25, 2023

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 1:05:34 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The first round of voting (or fourth? fifth? what day is it?) is done and Fleischmann is out.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 12:47:48 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

They’ve started voting, finally. How long they intend to go tonight is unclear, whether they think the can find “the one” or just winnow some more isn’t an unknown, I expect even to them. 

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 12:29:02 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Well, why the hell not. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who’s presidential campaign is not going gangbusters, has decided he should weigh in on the House debacle. He says bring back Gingrich. No. Really.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023 · 12:16:54 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

They are children.

A few funny details from the room
- ZACH NUNN made a parliamentary inquiry about why phones were banned from house gop meeting. He asked why Nancy mace had hers. And mace noted McCarthy had his
- TRENT KELLY said republicans shouldn’t elect a new speaker w MCCARTHY in the room.…

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 25, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 11:59:00 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The good news is that there are enough people who hate both McCarthy and Jordan to make that not happen. There’s only good news as far as that goes. The bad news is there isn’t any kind of plan for a speaker at all. But they’ll vote again in a few minutes and then come back tomorrow, possibly for for-real votes. Or not. 

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 11:45:12 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

More on this earlier reporting: The idea of a McCarthy-Jordan unity ticket is being discussed between McCarthy allies & Jordan allies, per sources, who think it could gain steam if the GOP once again fails to reach consensus.

Gimenez said he’d support; but Burchett rejecting it.

— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 11:02:46 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

McCarthy really wants the job back, and has been floating this nightmare scenario: “reinstall him as speaker and make conservative Trump ally, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the assistant speaker.” That’s been floating around on social media for a few hours, but is now confirmed by three sources to NBC.  

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 10:46:37 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

There won’t be votes on the floor tonight, anyway.

The House adjourned at 6:43 p.m. until tomorrow, Wednesday, October 25, 2023 when the House will meet at 12:00 p.m.

— Democratic Cloakroom (@DemCloakroom) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 10:28:23 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Next round of voting in the GOP conference is slated to start at 8:00 ET tonight. 

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 10:26:21 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

This seems a little hinky, like someone is trying to manufacture momentum for Johnson.

NEWS: Hern dropped and is supporting Johnson, per source familiar

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 10:07:38 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The candidate forum is now happening, to be followed by more voting. Like it’ll make any difference. Anyway, (shocker) they don’t expect floor votes tonight. 

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 9:47:49 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The official list this round:

• Byron Donalds (FL)
• Chuck Fleischmann (TN)
• Mark Green (TN)Kevin Hern (OK)
• Mike Johnson (LA)
• Roger Williams (TX)

No women. Go figure.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 9:39:34 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

CHUCK FLEISCHMANN of Tennessee is in the race for speaker, per a source.

He joins Mike Johnson, Mark Green and Kevin Hern.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 9:31:46 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Masochists (sadists, too): “Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) ahead of the 6pm House GOP Speaker election meeting: ‘The consensus is, unless it changes, is to stay here all night until we pick somebody.’”

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 9:25:57 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Bergman not back in, after all.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 9:17:36 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

So far, Johnson and Bergman (really, dude?) are back in it, and a new one, Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, chair of the Homeland Security Committee, has joined. He’s been being talked up by a few of the Freedom Caucus maniacs.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 9:10:19 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Candidate have another 20 minutes to declare they’re in. Maybe a woman will give it a go this time?

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 9:00:55 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Sure. Fine. Whatever.

Another candidate forum at 6 pm, per @rep_stevewomack

— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 8:57:48 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

She’s probably not wrong. 

Folks: After Matt Gaetz championed Emmer only to stab him in the back, it's quite clear this is about killing off "moderate" leadership.

The terrorists will continue this process until the GOP has no choice but vote w/Dems or endorse the terrorists.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 8:49:53 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

JEFFRIES too sounding exasperated when I asked him about Emmer dropping out:

“I mean, come on,” @RepJeffries tells me.

“The House Republican chaos, disfunction and extremism has reached a new level.”

— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 8:37:03 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Donalds is supposedly back in, too. At some point you’d think somebody would look at the Democrats and see salvation (at least temporarily).

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 8:34:13 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Ok, what they decided to go with is letting two of the losers from this go ‘round—Hern and Johnson—try again. Is there any chance either of them can break the logjam? Nothing is impossible, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 8:31:49 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Where do they go from here? Hell if I know. There could be the McHenry Empowerment option, but too many on the right are too paranoid about that. The only way that happens is with a power-sharing agreement with Dems and I don’t know that McHenry would be open to that. They are well and truly stuck.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 8:26:16 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

And he’s out.

🚨🚨BREAKING — TOM EMMER has dropped out of the race for speaker.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 8:25:16 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Ok, the meeting has started but: 

He just …… left. Said nothing. https://t.co/dWIjrOBYdg

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 8:05:30 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Trump is reportedly personally making calls against Emmer. He was with Emmer before he was against him, by the way.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 8:01:03 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Looks like some are taking the Mike Johnson threat seriously, not the least because he was an integral part of Trump’s effort in Congress to overturn the election, including organizing members to sign the amicus brief to the Supreme Court. 

The political team of former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who became an outspoken opponent of the former president, sent around some old clips about Johnson's involvement and highlighted the New York Times calling him "the most important architect of the Electoral College objections."

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 7:52:27 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

.@RepMcGovern is pissed: "The real culprit here is Kevin McCarthy. He's the one who ushered all this craziness in. He's the one who gave all the speaker's powers away to a group of right-wing extremists... He's created this mess. So he ought to go hide under some rock somewhere."

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 7:48:12 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Some members are talking up Mike Johnson again. Yes, guys, please do that. Johnson was an attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom before going to Congress. You know the ADF, the people who brought us Dobbs, advocate for a national abortion ban, and are pushing to make the abortion pill illegal, along with some forms of birth control. Yes, make THAT GUY the face of the House GOP. 

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 7:41:34 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

McCarthy ouster-er Matt Rosendale from Montana wants a redo of this morning’s votes, giving Johnson and Hern another go at it. Because repeating what already didn’t work is the way to go. These people.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 7:37:50 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The absurdity does not abate. Guy who lost in the first round this time, Rep. Pete Sessions, says they’re going to start looking for a speaker outside of the current House next, if they can’t get there with Emmer. Not that Sessions necessarily knows anything about it.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 7:04:25 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Team Trump is now actively whipping against Emmer. It’s hard to see it moving to the floor at this point. It’s hard to see Emmer’s candidacy lasting until the reconvene in an hour.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 6:50:06 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

They’re now talking about having the guy Emmer beat last—Mike Johnson—as “the only Republican who can get to 217.” This is all falling apart again, just like Steve Bannon wanted it to.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 6:40:17 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Gaetz is not helping Emmer after Trump’ bomb, saying now he “believes it’s really important to listen to ‘the leader of our party.’”

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 6:33:27 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Of course. 

Trump just derailed the speakership of the US House while sitting in a courtroom for the civil fraud trial of his business epire and listening to the testimony of Michael Cohen.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 6:30:35 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Steve Bannon is at work behind the scenes to torpedo Emmer, which helps explain Trump finally paying attention to this. Bannon is back to helping the agents of chaos—and Vladimir Putin—by keeping one half of one of the three branches of government paralyzed.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 6:25:48 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

TRUMP knifes Emmer Truth Social "I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them. He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA"

— Erik Wasson (@elwasson) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 6:23:01 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The MAGA crowd are angry at Emmer for voting to certify the 2020 election. The non-MAGAs are giving him credit for that. But here’s a good point about his votes to certify state electors: he was NRCC chair for the 2020 election and he picked up a majority-setting 13 seats. Of course he didn’t want to say those elections were invalid. That said, he has supported marriage equality, voted to keep government operating, and for aid to Ukraine. But he’s not necessarily going to stand up to Donald Trump.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 6:10:04 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

At least three (Nehls, Banks, Greene) have been pretty definitive in opposing Emmer. That’s all he can afford to lose and still get to 217, again barring any Democrats voting present or not voting. Don’t expect Democrats to gift him that without a lot in return. If they ever get to the point of this nomination going to the floor.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:59:57 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The airing of grievances seems to have gotten a little heated. They’re taking a break until 4:00 ET.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:57:25 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

.@RepMcGovern says Dems need to see changes to facilitate Emmer. “I am proud to be part of Team normal. But they’re Team Out Of Their Fucking Minds. And I've never seen anything like this before... It's embarrassing for this country, and they should all be ashamed of themselves.”

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:52:32 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

We now know Rep. Chip Roy, Texas, is one of the jerks voting present. Figures. Also, one of those voting for Emmer. So were Biggs, Davidson, Nehls, and Steube. The majority of the other votes against Emmer were for Jordan. Talk about your lost causes.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:44:40 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Meanwhile, the Senate is moving forward with a “minibus” spending bill, working their way toward averting a government shutdown in 24 days.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:27:55 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

It’s Festivus in the House!

Chairman McCaul says at Emmer’s request, members who have an issue with him are going up the the mics.

McCaul says he is responding.

(Emmer has taken some votes that some Rs strongly disagree with)

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:23:19 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

For what it’s worth, when the GOP held their final vote on Jordan last week, he got just 86 votes. So Emmer is doing swimmingly well!

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:16:47 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

According to what Politico’s Olivia Beavers is hearing, Emmer got some of the Freedom Caucus members, including Reps. Boebert, Donalds, and Luna, as well as Gaetz. Who knows what the dividing lines are in this group.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:11:22 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

CNN reports: “Emmer wants to keep having roll call votes behind closed-doors until he get 217, per Rep. Dave Joyce. And wants to keep fielding questions and concerns from members in there.”

Joyce had the McHenry Empowerment resolution ready last week, his interim plan to elect McHenry as acting temporary speaker in order to conduct critical House business. He says he’s ready to push it again if Emmer can’t consolidate the conference.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:04:05 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Hypothetically, Democrats could help Emmer out by voting “present” on the floor, as Steve Kornacki games out. But that’s a helluva lot of Democratic votes (or non-votes) he would need and that’s just not happening. Not without some kind of agreement on bipartisan governing.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 5:01:37 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

This is a lot. 

NY GOP Rep Brandon Williams tells @mkraju there are 26 against Emmer

— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotcnn) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 4:57:06 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The results of the roll call vote still haven’t been released, but Emmer is lacking “more than 20” votes according to reports. More than 20, less than 30. He can’t go to the floor with that, not without another total embarrassment. 

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 4:51:10 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Still nothing official out of the room on the roll call vote, but:

GOP Rep. Meuser told us “there are some holdouts” to Tom@Emmer’s speaker bid, saying there are “around 10” members opposed to him in the closed-door roll call vote currently underway.

He can only afford to lose four Rs in party-line vote

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 4:42:40 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

According to reports from the conference room, Emmer lacks at least 10 votes to get to 217. However, he supposedly wants to take it to the floor today. There is still no official guidance on what happens next.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 4:35:35 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Here’s a good reminder of what’s happened in the last three weeks:

• Jordan beat Scott 124-81
• Scalise beat Jordan: 113-99
• Emmer beat Johnson 117-97

Getting to 217 is going to be a slog for Emmer.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 4:25:11 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

This is a joy. 

Tom Emmer is a possible front-runner for Speaker of the House.... he's also the Rep that got stuck upside down on a Zoom call. pic.twitter.com/i4jwKQ4S9d

— Kelsie Taggart (@kelsientaggart) October 23, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 4:21:31 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

EMMER has called for a roll call vote in the conference.

This will help him figure out if he could get close to 217

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 4:18:59 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Emmer takes it, with 117 votes. Johnson got 97, and there were still 6 abstentions.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 4:12:51 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The maniacs might just be getting tired of this, too. CNN’s Manu Raju reports that Rep. Scott Perry, House Freedom Caucus chair, “said he ‘never’ says ‘never’ against a particular candidate but makes clear he has concerns about Tom Emmer’s votes on spending bills. ‘I’m concerned about that,’ he said this AM.” Emmer voted to keep government open last month. Leaving the door ajar for Emmer is at least something.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 4:05:20 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

One of the things going against Johnson, who is GOP Conference Chair, is that he’s from Louisiana, as is Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Giving the two top jobs to members from the same state is just a thing members innately distrust. On the other hand, he’s the last MAGA candidate (or MAGA-adjacent, anyway) standing.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:54:07 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

If Johnson picks up the 50 Donalds/Hern votes, then it’s a squeaker, 107-106, presuming no one abandons Emmer. The six hold-outs are going to have to commit.

FOURTH BALLOT —

Emmer- 107
Johnson- 56
Donalds- 25
Hern- 25
Other- 4
Present- 2

NOW it’s Johnson vs emmer. Donalds dropped.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:51:34 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Vote totals aren’t out yet, but it’s down to just Emmer and Johnson. Hern lost on the last ballot and was eliminated, and Donalds voluntarily withdrew.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:46:29 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

This is an interesting proposal from Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw: changing the rules so that a plurality can elect the speaker, instead of a majority of 217. He is “socializing” the idea among the GOP, whatever the hell that is supposed to mean. He thinks that if they change the rule then Republicans will all band together to prevent Democrat Hakeem Jeffries from winning. Crenshaw’s problem getting this adopted is that it will take 217 votes, and the likes of Matt Gaetz are probably not likely to give away their power so easily.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:40:23 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

If you’re wondering what the Democrats are doing:

Rep. Aguilar quips that they’re not here to “babysit” House Rs “as their party infighting further cripples the integrity of this institution.”

— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:39:28 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The arch conservatives—Hern, Donalds, and Johnson—had101 votes between them on the last round. Emmers had 100. If the conservatives can rally behind one candidate, which they have shown no capacity to do thus far, then they might be able to take Emmer down. But if he keeps picking up the discard votes, it seems like he’ll come out of this the “winner.” 

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:33:38 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

They don’t have full attendance. There are 224 members eligible to vote in conference, three of whom are delegates who can’t vote on the floor. There have been just 219 people voting in the first rounds.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:30:37 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

There aren’t any reports yet of screaming matches or bloodletting, and it’s going pretty quickly. Someone, at this rate Emmer, just might emerge out of this today with a majority. Whether he can get to 217 when the MAGA knives come out is a bigger question. That’s where, possibly, some negotiating with Democrats could come into play. But that’s probably the least likely of outcomes.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:25:44 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Emmer has the momentum, definitely, steadily picking up ground. The most Freedom Caucusie guy, Donalds, seems to be topping out. Johnson is just sort of hanging in there.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:22:47 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

After round 3, Scott is out. He did pretty well to get that far, since this all started for him as kind of whim when he decided at the last minute last week that Jim Jordan needed to have an opponent. There are still 6 assholes refusing to play along.

THIRD BALLOT —

Emmer- 100
Johnson- 43
Donalds- 32
Hern- 26
Scott- 12
Other- 3
Present- 3

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:19:54 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

A note on the process: They aren’t necessarily looking for a candidate with 217 votes in this. The winner will be whoever gets a majority of the votes cast.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:17:56 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The guy who still seems to be thinking he’ll sweep in and save the day at the end, Kevin McCarthy, on how all this chaos reflects on GOP. “Very, very poorly. From every aspect, and it's frustrating because it's just a few these eight, working with all the Democrats to ruin the reputation of the Republicans but we'll earn it back. There has to be consequences.”

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:09:58 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

This is curious, and kind of big if true.

MATT GAETZ is quietly helping TOM EMMER, per multiple GOP sources.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 3:06:36 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Meanwhile, interim Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry gaveled the House in and then right back out because they can’t do anything else until there’s a speaker. We are entering the fourth week of a paralyzed House.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 2:58:37 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Who in the world are the people voting “other” or “present”?

SECOND BALLOT TALLY

Emmer- 90
Johnson- 37
Donalds- 33
Hern- 31
Scott- 14
Bergman- 7
Other- 3
Present- 2

EMMER gained 12 from first ballot. JOHNSON still no 2. And 5 choose no one.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 2:54:22 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Jack Bergman, the retired Lt. Gen. from Michigan, was the loser in the second round of balloting, so he’s out and they are on to round 3.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 2:51:56 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

This relatively significant. Norman is dyed-in-the-wool Freedom Caucus.

RALPH NORMAN says he could support Emmer but still wants Donalds at this point

— Erik Wasson (@elwasson) October 24, 2023

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 · 2:38:30 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The first round is done. Pete Sessions (Texas) is now out.

Emmer - 78
Donalds- 27
Johnson - 34
Hern - 27
Scott - 18
Bergman - 16
Sessions - 8
Others - 5
Present - 1

— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) October 24, 2023

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