After 14 failed votes, Kevin McCarthy finally succeeds at becoming US House Speaker — but with all the concessions to get here, it may prove difficult to take the helm.
For the first time as president, Mr Biden will face a divided government, with the House in Republican hands and the Senate still controlled, though narrowly, by Democrats.
"I came to Washington to challenge the status quo," wrote Republican Bob Good of Virginia in an op-ed before his many votes against Mr McCarthy.Mr Good was one of six Republicans who voted "present" in the final roll call.In 2011, Tea Party Republicans took control of the House, confronting the agenda of then-president Barack Obama and his vice-president, Mr Biden.
Fuelled by the Tea Party, they went on to lead House Republicans into crisis after crisis with efforts to cut federal spending during the "fiscal cliff" of 2012 and federal shutdowns in 2013 as they tried to repeal Mr Obama's health care program.
A seasoned legislator who had made history as the first woman to be speaker, Ms Pelosi ran the House with the strength of experience.Mr McCarthy has been in office for 15 years, half as long as Ms Pelosi when she first took the helm, and with far fewer legislative victories to speak of.
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