House Speaker Vote Live Updates: Complete Conservative Conference Chaos

That's a wrap on our live coverage of this week's speaker drama. We'll be back next week when the House reconvenes to (maybe?) decide on a new leader.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) endorsed Rep. Tom Emmer (Minn.) to be the next House Speaker, CNN reports . McCarthy did not publicly endorse a speaker candidate when Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Steve Scalise (La.) were vying for the nomination.

"He is the right person for the job. He can unite the conference. He understands the dynamics of the conference. He also understands what it takes to win and keep a majority," McCarthy said about Emmer in a statement obtained by CNN.

Emmer, a front-runner for the nomination, is among a handful of candidates who have either announced their plans to throw their hat in the ring for speaker or who are contemplating doing so, such as Reps. Mike Johnson (La.) and Pete Sessions (Texas), according to NBC News .

After dropping his bid to become the next House speaker, Jordan told CNN that he does not have a preferred candidate. But some Republicans have already expressed interest in throwing their hat in the ring.

Reps. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) and Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) have said that they will seek the GOP nomination for speaker, CNNs Annie Grayer reported , as has Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.).

"I'm in," Hern told NBC News when asked if he would launch his bid.

Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) told reporters Friday that both he and Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) are considering a speaker bid, NBC News reported. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) also plans to join the race, CNN confirmed .

Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told members of the House conference that he too will seek the nomination for speaker, which would make him the front-runner in the race, journalist Jake Sherman reported .

Members have until Sunday at noon to file their bids, according to CNN. The list of candidates is expected to grow.

Rep. Austin Scott (R-Texas) blamed the eight guilty Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for the Houses messy predicament, but also told CNNs Manu Raju that Democrats are at fault. All House Democrats voted with the eight Republicans to oust McCarthy from the speakership after Gaetz introduced the resolution.

Republicans, however, have majority control of the chamber.

I think it makes Congress as a whole look very bad. The Democrats have had a lot of fun, Scott said in the halls of Congress.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) also said members on the other side of the aisle were contributing to the disarray, telling Raju, Our Democratic colleagues will not work with us on a single thing to secure the border. The race has exposed rifts between more centrist conservatives and the hard-right contingent led by Jordan, who is pushing extreme changes to border policy.

With Jordan's candidacy dead after the Republican conference reportedly voted 86 to 112 against his bid for the speakership, the House will head home for the weekend.

House Republicans will reportedly hold a candidate forum Monday. Candidates for the speakership must file by Sunday night.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he has had "no conversations" with GOP leaders about a way through Republicans' speaker chaos because, well, they don't have a leader.

"A leader to talk to is going to have to emerge in order for that to occur," Jeffries told reporters in a press briefing.

There are conversations happening between individual Democrats and Republicans, he noted, and in some ways, "they have intensified this week."

Those discussions are with GOP members who have "rejected the extremism of Jim Jordan," he said.

As for what happens next, Jeffries said bipartisan member-to-member conversations will hopefully deepen over the weekend and "perhaps get us to a place where we can reopen the House no later than Monday of next week."

His prediction drew laughs from members of the press.

"Monday?" one reporter asked incredulously as Jeffries began to leave.

"It's possible," he replied.

The Democratic leader left the room to more laughs.

McCarthy told reporters after todays ballot that he expects a fourth speaker vote, but stopped short of calling for Jordan to drop out.

Thats up to Jim, McCarthy said. But broadly speaking, he said, the party has some serious problems to contend with beginning with the crazy members led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).

I think its a problem for the party that were in this place to begin with, said McCarthy. Its 4% 8 members, here crazy members led by Gaetz, that put us in a bad situation.

He added, Were in a very bad place right now."

New York Republican Marc Molinaro voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) on the third ballot, despite having supported Jordan in each of the previous two rounds.

After it became apparent that Jordan would be unable to unify the conference, Molinaro said in a post on social media that he'd decided to drop his support for the bid.

We need to get back to work and need a conservative who can win the Speakership," he said. "Today, I voted for Lee Zeldin. Hes championed crucial fights like driving down inflation, securing the border, and is an unwavering supporter of Israel.

The Republicans are expected to meet behind closed doors at 1 p.m. ET to see if they can figure out a way forward.

The final totals have been read. Jordan got 194 votes. Jeffries got 210. Twenty-five Republicans picked other candidates.

On the first two rounds of voting, Jordan earned 200 votes and 199 votes, respectively. This time, a handful of lawmakers were not present to participate in the proceedings.

The House is now in recess.

New Jersey Republican Tom Kean flipped from Jordan to McCarthy on the third ballot, lamenting the state of Congress in a social media post as he did so.

For the past nearly three weeks, my number one priority has always been getting Congress moving again to do the work of the American people, he wrote on X , formerly Twitter. With great respect, it has become evident that Chairman Jordan does not and will not have the votes to become Speaker.

Kean said he voted for McCarthy for the good of our country, my district, and this institution.

Even more Republicans rejected Speaker Jim Jordan than over the last two votes. Heres who they chose instead:

Scalise: Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.), Drew Ferguson (Ga.), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), Kay Granger (Texas), Mike Kelly (Pa.), John Rutherford (Fla.), Mike Simpson (Idaho), Steve Womack (Ark.)

McHenry: Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (Ore.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Jen Kiggans (Va.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa)

McCarthy: Reps. Carlos Gimenez (Fla.), Tom Kean (N.J.)

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.): Reps. Vern Buchanan (Fla.), John James (Mich.)

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Ind.): Rep. Ken Buck (Colo.)

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.): Reps. Anthony D'Esposito (N.Y.), Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.), Nick LaLota (N.Y.), Marc Molinaro (N.Y.)

Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.): Rep. Jake Ellzey (Texas)

Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.): Rep. Pete Stauber (Minn.)

We're at J names in the alphabetical vote count and Jordan is doing worse at this point than he did in the previous votes, CNN reports.

Voting is still underway, but already enough Republicans have rejected Jordan to make it impossible for him to get to 214, the number of supporters needed based on Friday's quorum vote.