Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida has emerged as an alternative to Rep. Kevin McCarthy for House Speaker as the latter has failed to secure enough votes for a sixth time amid chaos among Republicans.
The Florida lawmaker has become the go-to choice of conservative holdouts who are opposing McCarthy's bid for speaker. On Wednesday, during the first three rounds of voting, Donalds received 20 votes against McCarthy's 201 votes. It was enough to keep the latter from reaching the needed 218 votes to become House Speaker.
Byron Donalds as Alternative to Kevin McCarthy
Republicans who opposed McCarthy's bid on Tuesday nominated several candidates, including Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Jim Jordan, and Rep. Lee Zeldin. Donalds later joined the list on the final vote on Tuesday, switching his support from McCarthy to Jordan.
The 44-year-old Republican was elected in November to his second term representing Florida's 19th District in the state's southwest. During his first election in 2020, he emerged the victor in a nine-way GOP primary and defeated his Democratic rival to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Francis Rooney, as per the Associated Press.
Donalds is a native of Brooklyn and was raised by a single mother and graduated from Florida State University in 2002. He later worked as a financial adviser when he was appointed to the board of trustees at a state college by then-Gov. Rick Scott, helping him elevate his profile in Florida's GOP circles.
Prior to being one of McCarthy's rivals for House Speaker, Donald said in December 2021 that the party leader had "done tremendous things" for GOP members in the House. At the time, the lawmaker said that McCarthy would be the one to bring the Republican Party to the next level.
While in the first two votes for House Speaker on Tuesday, Donalds cast his vote for the party leader. Following his support of Jordan on the third balloting, however, he posted on Twitter that the reality was that McCarthy did not have the votes needed to win.
According to Yahoo News, McCarthy failing to secure enough votes to become House Speaker on his sixth try has paralyzed the chamber at the beginning of a new congressional session. The situation marks the first time in a century that the selection of a speaker of the House has gone through more than one balloting.
Sixth Failed Balloting for House Speaker
On Wednesday, Donalds said that he did not come to Washington D.C. while being interested in becoming the speaker of the House. However, he said that he also understands that part of his responsibility is to make sure that the conference gets to a point where they are doing things in an effective and constructive way.
Republican Chip Roy considered Donalds a dear friend and called him a conservative but also a family man. The former said that the Florida lawmaker has a proven track record as a businessman and public service in the Florida legislature.
Roy noted that Donalds was a good man who was raised by a single mom and moved past adversity in life. The former noted that the Florida lawmaker dedicated his life to advancing the cause for his family and his country, the Washington Post reported.
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