WASHINGTON — Members of the House were finally sworn-in early Saturday after a days-long speaker saga not seen in 160-plus years.
Under the rules, the House cannot do any business until a speaker is selected.
And it took California Republican Kevin McCarthy four days and 15 rounds of voting to get the job he was campaigning for, overcoming intense opposition from a small number of hardline conservatives.
"That was easy huh, I'd never thought we get up here," said McCarthy.
The victory came with high drama. On the floor of the House, Congressman Mike Rogers of Alabama, seen in the peach tie in the video, lunged at Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who had just denied McCarthy the final yes vote he needed to become speaker in the 14th round.
But moments later, Gaetz and the five other holdouts changed course, allowing McCarthy to win on the 15th ballot. He later thanked former president Donald Trump for his help.
"He was with me from the beginning, somebody wrote the doubt of whether he was there and he was all in. He would call me, and he would call others. And uh, he really was, I was just talking to him tonight, helping get those final votes," said McCarthy.
But Democrats warned of the cost of McCarthy’s compromises to win.
"Kevin McCarthy's concessions to the extremists in his party make it far more likely that the MAGA Republican-controlled House will cause a government shutdown or a default with devastating consequences to our country," said Senator Chuck Schumer.
President Biden and the first lady issued a statement, congratulating McCarthy for winning the speakership.
