Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is speaking out about an alleged squabble between him and Rep. Matt Gaetz.

"I'm still running for speaker, and I plan to go to the floor and get the votes and win this race," Jordan said.

Jim Jordan endorsed the idea of expanding Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry's powers on a temporary basis.

For more A.F. Branco cartoons, go to WesternJournal.com/cartoons.

Jim Jordan was handed some bad news as he actually lost support in a critical floor vote for speaker -- despite flipping two holdouts.

Under the plan, designated speaker pro tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina would be empowered for a period of time.

Fox News was airing the live vote tally when Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska audibly declared his vote in favor of McCarthy.

Rep. Maxine Waters, one of the more vocal and outspoken lawmakers in the country, just couldn't help herself during a floor vote.

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida was pleased with a how a Tampa Bay Times story apparently aimed at making him looked bad, did the opposite.

Tuesday's first vote was reminiscent of McCarthy's bid for the gavel, which took 15 rounds of voting before a compromise was reached.