WASHINGTON — As the nation waits with bated breath to learn who the next Speaker of the House will be, one congressman found himself balancing his health needs with his duties to represent his constituents.
Maryland Rep. David Trone (D) missed the 12th round of voting Friday morning, the fourth day of votes, due to a previously scheduled surgery. But, when Trone made it back to the a Capitol for the 13th round, in time to cast his vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, he received a standing ovation from Democrats.
"Surgery this morning won't stop me from getting the job done," Trone tweeted. "I'm back at the Capitol and ready to stay here as long as it takes to elect a Speaker and get back to work on behalf of the American people."
Trone did not specify the details of his surgery, but according to a spokesperson, the surgery was unrelated to his previous battle with cancer; he has been cancer free since 2018. The congressman could be seen with his arm in a sling in photos posted to Twitter.
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy flipped 15 colleagues to support him, making extraordinary gains on the fourth day of a grueling standoff. The changed votes from conservative holdouts, including the chairman of the chamber's Freedom Caucus, put McCarthy closer to seizing the gavel for the new Congress — but not yet able. McCarthy agreed to many of the detractors' demands -- including the reinstatement of a longstanding House rule that would allow any single member to call a vote to oust him from office. That change and others mean the job he has fought so hard to gain will be weakened.
In the latest vote (13th round) 432 votes were cast with the following results:
- McCarthy: 214
- Jeffries: 212
- Jordan: 6
The House voted to adjourn until 10 p.m. as McCarthy works to round up final votes to become speaker.