The U.S. House of Representatives elected Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as its speaker after 15 contentious ballots, and only after six holdout Republican hardliners voted “present.” Voting “present” means that a member’s vote is not counted in the overall votes cast, which lowers the number needed to reach a majority. The final vote was 216-212, with Democrats voting for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

McCarthy negotiated with a group of 20 Republican holdouts who had opposed his election, agreeing to several rules changes and conditions that eventually persuaded enough people to switch their votes and give him the margin of victory. Concessions that McCarthy was forced to make included a rule change allowing just one member to bring up a “motion to vacate the chair,” which would force a vote on his continuation as speaker.

The chaotic week highlighted the fissures in the House Republican conference and raises concerns regarding McCarthy’s ability to deliver legislation on difficult political issues, such as raising the nation’s debt limit. As part of his negotiations, McCarthy agreed to pair spending cuts with any increase in the debt ceiling, which increases the chances the Democrats will oppose a Republican bill.