It's been a really long time — 100 years — since a House speaker vote was not decided on the first ballot.
It's momentous — a speaker contest has only gone to a second ballot 14 times in American history.
The last occurrence: In December 1923, Massachusetts Rep. Frederick H. Gillett finally reached an agreement with the opposition ... after nine ballots.
A similar congressional battle for the speaker gavel also took place in 1856. For that year, Rep. Nathaniel Banks could not raise enough support to lead the chamber. The contest took two months and 133 rounds of voting before reaching a conclusion.
The vote reportedly raged on because Banks was an anti-slavery congressman who opposed several lawmakers that wanted to expand upon slavery.
Banks eventually won by a 103-100 vote over South Carolina Rep. William Aiken.
Similar to 1856, when Banks ultimately prevailed, the present-day House will continually hold votes until a new speaker emerges.
On Tuesday, Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., faced 19 Republican dissenters in the opening round of voting, with some GOP legislators alternatively favoring Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and others.
For the second and third rounds, McCarthy also fell shy of the 218 votes needed to secure the speakership.
The House may adjourn until Wednesday, giving lawmakers a chance to further negotiate. However, until a speaker gets picked, the House cannot continue.
For example, a speaker must be chosen first, before voting on a House rules package can occur.
The schism between moderate and conservative Republicans has led to measures such as lowering the threshold for a "motion to vacate," allowing lawmakers to remove a speaker.
Still, those on the right do not seem to have an alternative to McCarthy. There is much skepticism over Jordan or Biggs, or any others who could possibly reach the 218 threshold.
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