Kevin McCarthy narrowly loses 14th House speaker vote in stunning setback

Tensions boiled, as a crowd swelled around them. There was finger pointing and yelling, and one lawmaker physically restrained a colleague who appeared to charge at Gaetz.

The defeat came after McCarthy had gained much-needed momentum earlier in the day. Fifteen far-right holdouts dropped their opposition and backed him during earlier rounds of voting on Friday, when the embattled Republican gave his support to a proposal that would undermine his own power while giving the far-right flank more influence over the legislative process, including the ability to more easily remove a speaker.

But with an end in sight, the general mood among Republicans had brightened remarkably. Members burst into applause with each new convert. McCarthy, who was subdued by the humiliating string of defeats in recent days, was notably upbeat on Friday, smiling and laughing as the votes progressed.

A handful of members were absent for the fourth day of the speakership election, which was not originally supposed to be a voting day for the House. Congressman Wesley Hunt, a Republican from Texas, had to rush home to be with his wife and newly born son. Congressman David Trone, a Democrat from Maryland, missed the 12th vote because he was undergoing surgery. Trone later returned to the Capitol for the 13th vote, receiving a standing ovation from his colleagues as he cast a ballot for Jeffries with his arm in a sling.

Until a speaker is chosen, the House will continue to operate in a suspended state of paralysis, with members unable to be sworn in and business unable to proceed.

Thursday marked the longest succession of failed speaker votes since the Congress of 1859, which went 44 rounds and two months. Only four other speakership elections in American history have required more than 12 ballots.

Meanwhile, Democrats remained united behind Jeffries as their choice for speaker. He repeatedly won the most votes during the first three days of balloting, but remained short of the majority.

But McCarthy argued the protracted affair had been instructive for the conference, forcing them to work through their disagreements now to avoid future conflict later.