- For the first time, two Black people were nominated to be speaker of the House of Representatives.
- Conservatives opposed to Kevin McCarthy nominated Rep. Byron Donalds on the 4th ballot on Wednesday.
For the first time in American history, two Black people were nominated at the same time to serve as speaker of the House, and a majority of the chamber supported a Black candidate.
Conservatives opposed to Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday nominated Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida — a Black Republican who was first elected to a southwest Florida district in 2020 — as their candidate.
He was nominated alongside Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who had already made history as the first Black person chosen to lead a party in Congress. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepped down from leadership at the end of the last Congress, though she will remain in the House as a rank-and-file lawmaker.
The Florida Republican ultimately garnered 20 votes on three different ballots on Wednesday. Combined with the 212 Democratic votes for Jeffries, a majority of the chamber voted for a Black candidate. McCarthy once again failed to garner the necessary votes to become speaker.
"Byron is a dear friend, a solid conservative, but mostly importantly, a family man," said Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas as he nominated Donalds on the fourth ballot. "Now, here we are, and for the first time in history, there have been two Black Americans placed into the nomination for speaker of the House."
The chamber then erupted into applause.
"However, we do not seek to judge people by the color of their skin, but rather the content of their character," Roy continued.
—ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 4, 2023
In a later speech, Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania noted that the first Black members elected to Congress in the 1800s following the Civil War had been Republicans, though that took place before party re-alignment driven by the GOP's so-called "Southern Strategy."
Donalds previously served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2016 to 2020. A member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, he is one of five Black Republicans who have been elected to serve in the 118th Congress.
Donalds' nomination came on the fourth ballot for House speaker. The House held three votes in a row for the position on Tuesday, but adjourned without choosing a candidate or swearing in any of its members.
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has continually failed the majority of votes necessary to become speaker, earning fewer votes than Jeffries on every ballot so far, despite Republicans holding a narrow majority in the lower chamber.
But not everyone was enthused by the historic nature of Donalds' candidacy. Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri, a progressive "Squad" member and former Black Lives Matter organizer, referred to Donalds as a "prop" who supports an agenda "upholding and perpetuating white supremacy."
—Cori Bush (@CoriBush) January 4, 2023