Swear-in day, on top of House Republicans failing to pick a new Speaker of the House after a day’s worth of discussions and three rounds of voting, made Tuesday, Jan. 3, all the more like a circus. 

The House GOP is stuck and discombobulated after failing to elect a new Speaker to replace veteran and longtime official Rep. Nancy Pelosi. 

Failure to choose a new Speaker in the first round of voting is a new kind of failure never seen before in 100 years. 

While California and GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, failed to get enough votes to secure him the gavel, he was an early favorite to take over following the 2022 midterms elections this past November, though he only had a slim GOP majority. He has been the House Minority Leader since 2019. 

Though it is possible that he could still win the post, he currently lacks momentum heading into Wednesday’s noon session, along with having a few enemies on his own team. The Golden State Republican lost 19 GOP votes on the first two ballots and 20 on the third. 

Following a late adjournment last night, he teamed up with his allies in his office to discuss new strategies with less than 24 hours to figure out a solution. 

“This can’t be about that you are going to leverage somebody for your own personal gain inside Congress,” McCarthy told reporters in the early evening. “This has to be about the country.” 

“Today, is that the day I wanted to have? No,” McCarthy also said late Tuesday at the Capitol. 

When asked if he would drop out, he said: “It’s not going to happen.”

The fight for the gavel first began on the first day of the 118th Congress and as a direct consequence, has weakened the House GOP’s political agenda and put them as a whole, into disarray, just days into the New Year. 

Voters are let down as no official business can be conducted until a Speaker is chosen, and the narrative from the Democrats, painting Republicans as extreme and disorganized, was only affirmed a bit more. 

“Every day we are delaying, we are letting down those voters,” Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee, told Fox News as the voting was still in motion. 

As for what we can expect to happen in the near future, McCarthy could change his mind and drop out, and a fourth round of voting could very well occur later today when they officially meet at noon, Wednesday, Jan. 4. The vote could last a day, or two, or weeks and even months in the worst case scenario, but as the country saw Tuesday, nothing should be a surprise anymore. 

With no Speaker, no work can be done and many campaign promises are temporarily halted as veteran lawmakers cannot figure out how to pick a leader. Along with no leader, there cannot be a swearing-in for its members, no new committee chairmen, no floor proceedings and no investigations of the Biden administration as they have threatened to. 

Former President Donald Trump is also watching closely as he urged in a post on his Truth social app, for the GOP to vote for McCarthy. 

“CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY,” he wrote, “REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT.”

There were tough scenes all day as pictures and videos surfaced of many lawmakers’ families waiting around, despite the day normally being one of joy and festivity filled with food. But unfortunately for them, it turned into a complete meltdown on the national stage. 

For McCarthy, many wonder, including in his party, whether the Californian is the answer to lead and be the voice. 

Tuesday proved that the House GOP cannot even vote for something as easy as a Speaker, which will make Americans and voters question how and if they will be able to come together when it comes down to bigger issues such as the economy and spending.

The Republican needs 218 votes to win the gavel and based off of Tuesday night’s all-nighter in the McCarthy office, he is going all in.