Kevin McCarthy Elected as New Speaker of the House, Hakeem Jeffries as House Democratic Leader

In a historic vote at the early hours of Saturday morning, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected as the new Speaker of the House. The vote came after a week of failed attempts to elect a leader, with McCarthy finally securing the majority vote.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was also elected as the new House Democratic leader, and made his first remarks in his new role. He made clear that the Democratic party would not compromise their principles, and listed a number of issues that the party will focus on.

McCarthy acknowledged that the new Republican majority signaled the House was “at a fork in the road,” though his party would still work to “extend our hand of partnership” across the aisle. He also projected confidence ahead of the 14th vote, saying “I have the votes.”

The election of McCarthy marks the end of a seven year journey for the California representative, who had to withdraw his name from contention in 2013 to avoid a chaotic situation.