Tennessee’s newest congressman-elect, Andy Ogles, has followed through on a vow to oppose Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s, R-Calif., bid to be the next house speaker.
Ogles signed a letter with eight other Republican over the weekend saying he wouldn’t support McCarthy unless he committed to new procedural rules, including one to make it easier to oust the house speaker.
As of Tuesday at 5 p.m., the speakership vote was up in the air after McCarthy failed to secure a majority following three rounds of voting.
In the first round of voting, Ogles was one of six House members to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Ogles also voted for Jordan in the second and third rounds.
The U.S. House is in recess until Wednesday.
The battle for U.S. House Speaker has revealed an intraparty rift pitting hardline Republicans like Jordan against McCarthy.
The move aligns Ogles with more conservative members of his caucus, mirroring promises he made during his campaign for the redrawn 5th District.
He’s the first Republican to represent Nashville in over a century after redistricting split the Democratic stronghold into three more Republican leaning districts.
Without a house speaker, the chamber can not begin its session or conduct business, including swearing in new members like Ogles. McCarthy needs 218 votes to secure the speakership, a benchmark he has so far failed to secure.
Democrats, meanwhile, voted for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York to lead their conference.
This story has been updated.
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