In the last 24 hours, Rep. Kevin McCarthy lost the support of second-term legislator Byron Donalds for the House speaker nomination and then competed with him for the uncertain leadership position, losing once more.

Twenty Republicans supported Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) in the fourth round of votes for speaker, preventing GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from being elected.

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Having voted for McCarthy in the first two rounds of voting on Tuesday, Donalds, a sophomore representative, switched his vote to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) in the third round.

And now the sixth round of House Speaker vote is underway, with both McCarthy and Donalds on the Republican ballot. So far, McCarthy has managed to get 201-203 votes and Donalds has gotten 20 votes every time he was nominated — both falling short of the 218 majority required to clinch victory. 

Who is Byron Donalds?

Byron Lowell Donalds was born on October 28, 1978. He is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 19th congressional district since 2021.

Donalds has three sons with his wife Erika. They live in Naples, Florida.  At age 21, Donalds converted to Christianity.

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Donalds was born and raised in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Donalds graduated from East Flatbush’s Nazareth Regional High School in 1996. After attending Florida A&M University, he graduated from Florida State University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in finance and marketing.

Donalds held positions in the banking, insurance, and finance sectors prior to entering politics. In Naples, Florida, he has held positions with TIB Bank, CMG Life Services, and Moran Wealth.

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In Florida’s 19th congressional district, Donalds ran as a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012. He finished fifth of six candidates. After Trey Radel resigned in 2014, Donalds was considered a potential candidate for Florida’s 19th congressional district, but he ultimately decided not to run.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Donalds was first elected to the Florida state senate in 2016 and focused on reforming the criminal justice system and enhancing Florida’s educational system.

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Donalds had written a newsletter for Herman Cain, a previous Republican presidential contender, before he entered politics.  Donalds ran as an ally of then-President Donald Trump and won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.

Donalds said in an interview with CNN This Morning on Jan 4, 2023,  that “a lot of that remains to be seen” but he left the possibility of backing McCarthy once more open.

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“What I’m going to do right now is vote for who I think is in the best interest of the conference,” Donalds said.