The House Republican leadership standoff ended early Saturday morning with Kevin McCarthy winning the speaker’s gavel on a historic 15th vote in the longest such election since 1859.
The drama stretched into a fourth day Friday with three more failed votes to decide on a speaker after 11 others over Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the last one ending in a heated one-vote loss at the hands of holdout Matt Gaetz.
McCarthy had been stymied by a small group of hardliners. They demanded concessions, to reshape how the House is run and legislation it prioritizes, or alternative candidates.
The House was prevented from conducting any other business — and members couldn’t be sworn in — until a speaker was chosen.
