House History: Last Floor Fight For Speaker Was 1923

November 26, 2022 Infighting Is Funny, Republicans

In this game of chicken, if the conservatives don’t blink and McCarthy refuses to back down, it could result in a chaotic floor fight with House members taking multiple votes for speaker — something that has not happened in a century.

When the House gathered on Dec. 4, 1923, Frederick Gillett sought re-election as speaker. The Republican from Massachusetts had served in the role since 1919 and his party had maintained control of the chamber.

But after the first ballot, Gillett did not have the votes needed. Three more votes were held and each time enough Progressive Republicans supported other candidates, blocking Gillett from regaining the gavel.

Read the full article.

A HISTORY LESSON w/⁦@KyleAlexStewart⁩: Kevin McCarthy could face a floor fight for speaker. That hasn’t happened in a century.

The last time a speaker vote went to multiple ballots on the floor was 1923. The longest was 133 ballots over two months. https://t.co/ARlVcEShPe

— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) November 26, 2022