It was nearing midnight, and he had already lost 13 votes for speaker over four long days.
U.S. Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) (L) talks to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesGaetz, who had hurled personal insults at McCarthy just hours earlier on the House floor, said no.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images NewsThe chaos on the House floor came exactly two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
US Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to US Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the House Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2023.