After being rejected for days by a small faction of extremist Republicans, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) failed again in his bid to become Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress.

In a session that ended after midnight Eastern Time, McCarthy received 216 votes, one shy of the majority he needed in order to become Speaker.

McCarthy’s narrow defeat came in the 14th round of voting amid four days of contentious intra-Republican debate, the first time since 1923 in which a speaker nominee failed to obtain a majority of members present for voting.

Four Republicans voted for other members. Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) voted “present.” Under House rules, members voting present are not counted for or against motions.

During the voting process, Gaetz left the House floor and returned at the end, casting his “present” vote in a dramatic move that seemed to provoke his Republican colleagues. Rep Mike Rogers (R-AL), a McCarthy supporter, had to be physically restrained by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) after he began shouting at Gaetz.

Over the four days of continuous voting, McCarthy had managed to narrow down his opposition from 20 of his most far-right members by making a series of legislative rule concessions that will severely restrict his power.

Most of the 20 Republicans who initially opposed McCarthy are members of the Freedom Caucus, a virulently anti-government group of members who are known for their Christian supremacist viewpoints. Some, such as Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), have worked closely with racist groups.

The concessions McCarthy made to the far-right are a mixture of procedural and policy changes, all of which will weaken his power to determine what legislation makes it to the floor. McCarthy spent days giving into his objectors’ increasing demands, including a formal provision that any attempt to increase the federal government’s debt ceiling be automatically paired with mandatory cuts to federal spending. McCarthy also promised that he would fix all 2023 federal spending at 2022 levels, effectively meaning these programs would be reduced in size given inflation. Neither provision is likely to be accepted by Senate Democrats or by President Joe Biden.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CA), the highest-ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee blasted McCarthy as word began circulating on Capitol Hill that he was trying to make policy before any legislation had been drafted.

“Appropriations bills are must-pass bills. In order to pass them, there has to be a bipartisan, bicameral agreement like Democrats secured in December,” she said in a statement. “Given the rumors swirling around Representative-elect Kevin McCarthy’s secret spending deals, it does not appear that Republicans understand the appropriations process.”

Other concessions won by the far-right members include giving any representative the ability to file a “motion to vacate the chair,” which would subject McCarthy an immediate removal vote.

TYT National Correspondent Matthew Sheffield reports about politics, media, and technology. You can follow him on Twitter or on Mastodon.