McCarthy fails to secure enough votes in first round of balloting to become speaker

House GOP Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday failed in the first round of balloting on the House floor to secure enough votes to become the chamber's next speaker.

McCarthy, a California Republican, received 203 votes, about 15 short of a majority of present members.  

New York Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries received 212 votes.

Arizona GOP Rep. Andy Biggs received 10 votes. Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan received 6 and others received 3.

The new GOP controlled-house has had an internal battle for speaker with some Republicans refusing to vote for McCarthy, stating he would be a a "continuation of past and ongoing Republican failures." 

Ahead of the vote, McCarthy predicted it would be a "battle on the floor."

"We may have a battle on the floor but the battle is for the conference and the country and that's fine with me," he said following Tuesday's GOP conference meeting.

"I don't see how a few people, maybe it's 5, maybe it's 20, sit because they want a gavel that they can't earn by the conference of themselves, that would be interesting to me, that's not what the constituents voted them for," McCarthy continued.