Book Details 2023 House Speaker Vote Confrontation

A new book describes a confrontation on the House floor during the January 2023 speaker election that required 15 rounds of voting. The incident occurred on the 14th ballot around 11 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2023. One lawmaker approached another after a vote, and a third lawmaker intervened to separate them.

The speaker election followed the 2022 midterms, in which Republicans gained control of the House but held only a narrow majority. Six members repeatedly voted against the leading candidate, forcing repeated ballots over four days. The book states that one member had requested a subcommittee chair position and later voted present on the 14th ballot.

The leading candidate urged the member to support the final vote so colleagues could return home.

After the confrontation, the leading candidate was elected speaker on the 15th ballot later that night. The same member who had opposed the candidate led a successful effort to remove the speaker in October 2023. The book is scheduled for release on Tuesday and was obtained early by CBS News.