Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., sits in the House chamber during first-ballot voting for speaker on the opening day of the 118th Congress on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Matt McClain/The Washington Post

For the first time in 100 years, it’s taken multiple rounds of ballots for the House to elect its next speaker.

With Republicans holding just 222 seats to the Democrats’ 212, the prospect of Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., – once considered the obvious choice for the role – winning enough votes looked shaky when the House convened Tuesday.

McCarthy lost 19 Republicans on the first and second ballots. During the latter round, those 19 all voted for Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, even after Jordan urged his fellow Republicans to back McCarthy. During the third ballot, that number grew to 20, with Byron Donalds, R-Fla., joining the opposition.

The House held its fourth, fifth and sixth ballots on Wednesday. On all three, 20 of McCarthy’s opponents voted for Donalds, marking the first time both major parties nominated a Black American as speaker. In addition, one member voted “present,” bringing the total of votes lost to 21.

That’s one factor complicating the math: If members don’t vote for an alternative to McCarthy – for example, by voting “present” – their protest votes effectively only count half as much, since they would lower the threshold for victory. To become speaker, a member needs only a majority of those casting a ballot for an actual candidate.

Those voting against McCarthy are almost exclusively members and incoming members of the House Freedom Caucus, and they include five freshmen.

Below are the members of his party who voted against McCarthy so far.

1. Andy Biggs, Ariz.

Biggs voted for himself for speaker on the first ballot and for Jordan on the subsequent two ballots. He voted for Donalds on the fourth through sixth ballots.

Biggs is the House Freedom Caucus member who stepped forward to challenge McCarthy when the GOP conference chose its leader and candidate for speaker in November. The opposition got just 31 votes – to McCarthy’s 188 – but Biggs signaled that he wasn’t done fighting McCarthy. In an op-ed two weeks ago, he wrote that “it is time to make a change at the top of the House of Representatives. I cannot vote for the gentleman from California, Mr. McCarthy.” Spokesman Matthew Tragesser assured The Washington Post: “He is a hard no. He will not vote for McCarthy under any circumstance.”

2. Dan Bishop, N.C.

Bishop, another House Freedom Caucus member, voted for Biggs on the first ballot, making him the second Republican to go against McCarthy’s speaker bid. On the second and third ballots, he voted for Jordan. On the next three ballots, he voted for Donalds.

3. Lauren Boebert, Colo.

House Freedom Caucus member Boebert became the first House Republican on Tuesday to cast her speaker vote for Jordan and did so again on the next two ballots. On the fourth she voted for Donalds, and did so again on the fifth ballot, when she gave the nominating speech for him. Boebert said of former president Donald Trump: “The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, ‘Sir, you do not have the votes and it’s time to withdraw.'” She voted for Donalds again on the sixth ballot.

4. Josh Brecheen, Okla.

Incoming freshman Josh Brecheen offered perhaps the first surprise vote against McCarthy, casting his vote for Jim Banks on the first ballot and for Jordan on the second and third. He voted for Donalds on the fourth, fifth and sixth ballots. Brecheen, an incoming member of the Freedom Caucus, hadn’t telegraphed his intentions before Tuesday.

5. Michael Cloud, Texas

Cloud, another Freedom Caucus member – and another somewhat surprising early vote against McCarthy – voted for Jordan during the first three ballots Tuesday. He voted for Donalds on all the ballots Wednesday.

6. Andrew S. Clyde, Ga.

Freedom Caucus member Clyde voted for Biggs during the first ballot and for Jordan during the second and third. For the fourth through sixth ballots, he switched his vote to Donalds.

7. Eli Crane, Ariz.

Crane, a freshman and incoming member of the Freedom Caucus, also voted for Biggs during the first ballot, and for Jordan during the two ballots that followed. He voted for Donalds on the fourth, fifth and sixth ballots.

8. Byron Donalds, Fla.

Florida Republican Byron Donalds on the House floor during voting for speaker on Wednesday, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

Donalds voted for McCarthy on the first two ballots before voting for Jordan on the third. The second-term Republican told CNN before the third ballot: “The one thing that’s clear is [McCarthy] doesn’t have the votes. So, at some point, as a conference, we’re going to have to figure out who does.” After that vote, he urged the GOP conference to take a recess to discuss next steps, adding, “these continuous votes aren’t working for anyone.” He told reporters on Tuesday that he could still switch back to McCarthy. On the fourth and fifth ballots, he voted for himself.

9. Matt Gaetz, Fla.

Gaetz voted for Biggs on the first ballot Tuesday and for Jordan on the next two. He voted for Donalds on the three ballots Wednesday. The Freedom Caucus member was the first one to come out against McCarthy hard, long before the House GOP conference chose McCarthy as its leader and nominee for speaker. Gaetz said before the conference vote: “I’m not voting for Kevin McCarthy. I’m not voting for him tomorrow. I’m not voting for him on the floor.” Puck News went on to ask Gaetz whether there was any concession that could change his mind, and he reportedly responded with a flat “no.”

10. Bob Good, Va.

Good voted for Biggs on the first ballot Tuesday and for Jordan on the next two. He voted for Donalds in the three rounds Wednesday. Another Freedom Caucus member, he had spoken out against McCarthy before the conference vote, too. And while his statements suggested some wiggle room, he was unequivocal in a recent interview with Stephen K. Bannon. Bannon asked him whether there was anything McCarthy could do to earn his vote, and Good responded: “No, sir, because we can do better. . . . We have to have a new speaker.”

11. Paul A. Gosar, Ariz.

Gosar voted for Biggs during the first ballot after nominating him for speaker on the floor of the House. The Freedom Caucus member switched his vote to Jordan during the second ballot, and voted for him again on the third, before switching his vote to Donalds for all the rounds Wednesday.

He is the only member to vote against the last three GOP nominees for speaker when the party was in the majority: John A. Boehner, Paul D. Ryan and now McCarthy.

12. Andy Harris, Md.

Harris cast his first ballot for former congressman Lee Zeldin, who lost his bid for the New York governorship in November. The Freedom Caucus member switched his vote to Jordan during the second ballot and voted for Jordan again on the third. He voted for Donalds on the three ballots Wednesday.

13. Anna Paulina Luna, Fla.

Incoming freshman Luna, an incoming member of the Freedom Caucus and a Trump ally, voted for Jordan during the first three ballots. She voted for Donalds on the next three.

14. Mary E. Miller, Ill.

Miller, a second-term member, voted for Jordan during the first three ballots, then for Donalds three times Wednesday.

15. Ralph Norman, S.C.

Norman voted for Biggs on the first ballot and Jordan on the second and third ballots. He voted for Donalds on the fourth through sixth ballots.

The Freedom Caucus member has cited McCarthy’s refusal to adopt the Republican Study Committee’s plan for the budget and has said he’s a firm no. “I’m not going to support Kevin McCarthy,” he told Just the News. He later told Politico that he is a “hard” no.

16. Andy Ogles, Tenn.

Incoming freshman Ogles voted for Jordan on the first three ballots and for Donalds on the next three. The incoming Freedom Caucus member has called for the impeachment of President Biden and Vice President Harris.

17. Scott Perry, Pa.

Perry, the chair of the Freedom Caucus, voted for Biggs on the first ballot and for Jordan on the second and third ballots. He voted for Donalds on the fourth, fifth and sixth.

18. Matthew M. Rosendale, Mont.

Rosendale voted for Biggs on the first ballot Tuesday and for Jordan on the next two ballots before voting for Donalds in the rounds that followed.

The Freedom Caucus member has highlighted an issue for many of his colleagues: the idea that the House rules don’t empower the rank and file enough. “We need a leader who can stand up to a Senate and President Biden, and unfortunately, that isn’t Kevin McCarthy,” Rosendale said. That would seem to leave open the possibility that McCarthy could make the kind of changes Rosendale needs. But Rosendale’s office indicated that he’s mostly firm. A spokeswoman told Puck that Rosendale would vote for McCarthy only under “extreme circumstances.” Rosendale is also considered a possible challenger to Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., in 2024. (He challenged Tester unsuccessfully in 2018, losing by a narrow margin.)

19. Chip Roy, Texas

Roy cast his first ballot for Donalds and his second and third ballots for Jordan. He voted for Donalds on the fourth through sixth ballots.

Like Rosendale, he has focused like a laser on changing House rules, but he also called McCarthy a “friend” and said he has “been engaging and will continue to be engaging in good faith.”

20. Keith Self, Texas

Self, one of the most conservative freshmen elected in the 2022 class, cast his first three ballots for Jordan. He cast his next three ballots for Donalds.

21. Victoria Spartz, Ind.

On the first three ballots, Spartz voted for McCarthy. On the fourth, though, she voted “present,” lowering the threshold to win a majority, and did so again on the fifth and sixth. Spartz, a second-term member, has gained attention over the past year as the only member of Congress who was born in Ukraine. Like Donalds, she is not in the House Freedom Caucus.