Update (2228ET): In a hilarious cap to today's chaos surrounding the GOP House Speaker vote, anti-McCarthy Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida wrote to the Architect of the Capitol to ask how long McCarthy - who prematurely moved in to the Speaker's office - would be able to occupy the room "before he is considered a squatter."

Update (1836ET): The day ended without the election of a House Speaker, as support for Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) waned throughout the day.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), meanwhile, saw his stock rise with each of Tuesday's three votes.

As The Epoch Times notes, in the first vote of a tumultuous first day of the 118th Congress, McCarthy, the California Republican who led the party to regain the majority in the November 2022 mid-term election, fell 15 votes short of the 218 he needed to become Speaker of the House.

McCarthy received 203 votes from Republican colleagues, while 212 Democrats voted for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who will serve as House Minority Leader in 2023. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz), the leader of the anti-McCarthy members, received 10 votes. A handful of Republicans voted for candidates who were not nominated.

Second Vote

Incoming House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) cited Saint Paul's admonition about "finishing the race" as he nominated House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for Speaker of the House.

In his floor speech, Jordan said the House must do three basic things in 2023, including getting the U.S. border with Mexico under control and restoring U.S. military strength, stopping profligate spending by Democrats, and conducting a comprehensive oversight effort of President Joe Biden's administration.