Republican Kevin McCarthy lost two votes for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, as hardline conservatives representing less than one-tenth of his party caucus rebelled against him, leaving the new Republican majority in turmoil. In an embarrassing beginning to what could prove to be a brutal showdown between hardliners and the overwhelming majority of House Republicans, McCarthy twice fell short of the 218-vote majority needed to succeed Democrat Nancy Pelosi as speaker. It was the first time in a century that the House failed to elect a speaker on the first vote.
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