Brooklyn’s own Hakeem Jeffries, the newly minted House Democratic Leader, won the first three rounds of voting for House speaker Tuesday afternoon over Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA) — though he fell short of the 218-vote majority needed to win the post.
In the first round, Jeffries managed to eke out 212 votes to McCarthy’s 202, with all House Democrats standing behind their new leader. However, that’s the most votes Jeffries is likely to get and it falls short of the 218 he would need to capture the top post in the 435-member chamber.
