Aspiring speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) may have Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) to thank for his failure to end the speaker chaos during the 14th round of voting Friday.
Rosendale was one of four Republicans who again voted against McCarthy during the 10 p.m. vote Friday, but some Republicans were optimistic that he was going to vote present. However, he ultimately voted for Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) as the understanding collapsed.
MCCARTHY FALLS SHORT AS HOLDOUTS BLOCK SPEAKERSHIP BID ON 14TH BALLOT
"When we come back tonight, we'll have the votes to get this done once and for all,” McCarthy told reporters prior to the vote.
McCarthy was just one vote shy of ending the nearly weeklong standstill that has consumed the lower chamber. He managed to garner present votes from Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO), bringing the vote total for him to 216, with four Republicans against and 212 Democrats in favor of incoming Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). He needed 217.
GOP leadership thought Matt Rosendale would vote present along with Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert in order to deliver McCarthy the Speakers gavel, sources tell @MZanona and me.
— Annie Grayer (@AnnieGrayerCNN) January 7, 2023
But that fell apart at the last minute and is part of what led to the chaos that is unfolding.
After the vote failed, the House erupted in chaos when Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) nearly came to blows with Gaetz over frustrations with his colleague from Florida.
Around that time, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was spotted motioning over to Rosendale with her phone, seemingly trying to persuade him to switch his vote. Some observers in the chambers reported that she claimed to have former President Donald Trump on the line. He has backed McCarthy for the speakership.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, holds her smart phone with former US President Donald Trump on the line, as Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Republican from Montana, waves it off during a meeting of the 118th Congress in the House Chamber on Friday.#SpeakerVote pic.twitter.com/VWvOGfXd9Q
— Al Drago (@Al_Drago) January 7, 2023
Rosendale was reportedly aghast at her for putting him on the spot.
Members tell me MTG and Matt Rosendale we’re getting in heated exchange at same time as Rogers/Gaetz
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) January 7, 2023
MTG was telling Rosendale she has Trump on her phone and he needed to talk to the former president right then
Rosendale shouted repeatedly, “don’t you ever do me like that!”
It was the perfect phone call. pic.twitter.com/aRpf5pefoU
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 7, 2023
Greene, for her part, subsequently tweeted the same image, calling it the "perfect phone call."
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The speaker gavel saga is now the longest election of its kind since 1859. The last time a speaker race lasted more than one round was in 1923. McCarthy has made concessions to holdouts, including on congressional rules, and vowed not to retaliate against defectors.