Kevin McCarthy vows to remain in race for U.S. House speaker amid hardline opposition - Reuters

WASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Republican Kevin McCarthy vowed connected Tuesday to stay successful the contention to beryllium the almighty U.S. House of Representatives speaker, hours aft hardline members of his enactment repeatedly blocked his bid to pb their brand-new majority.

In the archetypal time of what could beryllium to beryllium a brutal showdown betwixt astir 20 hardliners and the different 202 members of the Republican caucus, McCarthy failed successful 3 ballots to execute the 218 votes needed to go speaker, a relation 2nd successful enactment to the Oval Office aft the vice president.

It was a disconcerting commencement for the caller Republican bulk and highlights the challenges the enactment could look implicit the adjacent 2 years, heading into the 2024 statesmanlike election. Their slim 222-212 bulk gives greater clout to a tiny radical of hardliners, who privation regularisation changes that would springiness them greater power implicit the talker and much power implicit the party's attack to spending and the debt.

Late connected Tuesday, McCarthy told reporters that erstwhile President Donald Trump had called him and reiterated his support. Trump has backed McCarthy successful the contention and remains a almighty fig successful the Republican Party.

McCarthy, 57, from California, knew helium faced an uphill ascent heading into Tuesday's ballot and had vowed to proceed to unit votes. But the enclosure voted connected Tuesday evening to adjourn until noon ET (1700 GMT) connected Wednesday, a determination that would springiness Republicans clip to sermon different candidates.

Conservative Representative Jim Jordan, 58, from Ohio, won 20 votes successful the past ballot of the day, acold from the threshold of 218 to go talker but capable to halt McCarthy.

"I deliberation that Kevin knows that this is his past shot," said Representative Kenneth Buck, who had voted to enactment McCarthy. He noted that McCarthy antecedently tried successful 2015 to go talker and failed successful the look of blimpish opposition, adding, "He's not gonna person this accidental again."

A protracted talker predetermination could undermine House Republicans' hopes of moving guardant rapidly connected investigations of Democratic President Joe Biden and his administration, and legislative priorities that see the economy, U.S. vigor independency and borderline security.

The chamber's apical Democrat, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, bested McCarthy successful each 3 votes. In the day's last tally, Jeffries led McCarthy 212 to 202 votes. A bulk of those voting, not a plurality, is needed to find a speaker.

A standoff would permission the House mostly paralyzed and could unit lawmakers to see different Republican candidate. In summation to Jordan, incoming Majority Leader Steve Scalise, 57, from Louisiana, was seen arsenic a possibility.

The past clip the House failed to elite a talker connected the archetypal ballot was 1923.

'RALLY AROUND HIM'

Jordan himself had spoken successful enactment of McCarthy earlier helium was nominated, and each 3 times voted for him.

"We request to rally astir him," Jordan had said successful an impassioned code connected the House floor. "I deliberation Kevin McCarthy's the close feline to pb us."

Jordan is simply a staunch state of Trump and a co-founder of the blimpish House Freedom Caucus.

A erstwhile assemblage wrestler, Jordan is preparing to oversee the House Judiciary Committee's probe of the Justice Department and FBI nether Biden.

McCarthy's hardline opponents are acrophobic that helium is not profoundly invested capable successful the civilization wars and partisan rivalries that person dominated the House - and adjacent much truthful since Trump's White House years.

Before the vote, McCarthy tried to transportation the holdouts during a closed-door enactment meeting, vowing to enactment successful the contention until helium gets the indispensable votes, but galore participants emerged from the gathering undaunted.

McCarthy suggested to reporters aboriginal connected Tuesday that the way to him becoming talker laic successful members voting "present" - neither for nor against him - which would little the threshold needed to unafraid the job.

McCarthy has spent his big beingness successful authorities - arsenic a legislature staffer past authorities legislator earlier being elected to the House successful 2006. As speaker, McCarthy would beryllium good placed to frustrate Biden's legislative ambitions.

But immoderate Republican talker volition person the pugnacious task of managing a House Republican caucus moving ever rightward, with uncompromising tendencies and - astatine slightest among immoderate lawmakers - adjacent allegiances to Trump.

Struggles with the party's close flank chopped abbreviated the careers of the past 2 Republican speakers, with John Boehner resigning the station successful 2015 and Paul Ryan opting not to tally for re-election successful 2018.

The grounds fig of voting rounds to elite a House talker is 133 implicit a two-month play successful the 1850s.

The Democrats picked Jeffries to service arsenic number person aft Nancy Pelosi, the archetypal pistillate to service arsenic speaker, announced that she would measurement down from her enactment role. She volition stay successful bureau arsenic a representative.

Reporting by David Morgan, Moira Warburton and Gram Slattery; further reporting by Richard Cowan and Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell, Will Dunham and Howard Goller

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