California Congressman Kevin McCarthy was elected House Speaker after tense negotiations and failed votes. 

It took the US House of Representatives 15 days and 15 rounds of voting to finally award the gavel to Congressman McCarthy. US Representative for Iowa’s Third Congressional District Zach Nunn says he voted for Representative McCarthy to be the next House Speaker because he listened to the Iowa Delegation, wants to end proxy voting, hold politicians accountable and is able to reach across the political aisle. Congressman Nunn tells Raccoon Valley Radio that in November the House Republicans held a discussion on what they wanted from a speaker and it was never rubber stamped. 

“We want a presiding officer, the speaker, who allows committees to do their work, who allows members to be representatives of their district by bringing amendments and concerns to the floor, by holding the presiding officer accountable, and most importantly, that we get to have the say in what bills we bring forward. Those things were all achieved. I’m very excited about that. McCarthy again, is one out of the 220, and I’ll be very candid. I think any of the 220 could be a great presiding officer and work very well.”

Nunn says that McCarthy has made a pledge to him on a number of occasions to become the interim presiding officer in the future. The vote for the House Speaker made history for the first time with multiple ballots to complete since 1855, which lasted 133 rounds over two months.