Representative Kevin McCarthy of California won the election early on Saturday as House speaker in a historic five-day, 15-ballot floor fight, after giving major concessions to Right-wing holdouts and weathering a dramatic late-night setback that underscored the limits of his power over the new Republican majority.

McCarthy clawed his way to victory by cutting a deal that won over a sizeable contingent of ultraconservative lawmakers on the 12th and 13th votes earlier in the day and then wearing down the remaining holdouts in a tense session that dragged on past midnight, ultimately winning with a bare majority, after a spectacle of arm-twisting and rancour on the House floor.

The protracted fight foreshadowed how difficult it would be for him to govern with an exceedingly narrow majority and an unruly hardRight faction bent on slashing spending and disrupting business in Washington.

The speakership struggle that crippled the House before it had even opened its session suggested that basic tasks such as passing government funding bills or financing the federal debt would prompt epic struggles over the next two years.

Yet McCarthy, who was willing to endure vote after humiliating vote and give in to an escalating list of demands from his opponents to secure the post, denied that the process foretold any dysfunction. “This is the great part,” he told reporters. “Because it took this long, now we learned how to govern.”

Despite the divisions on display, McCarthy also emphasized the theme of unity in a speech after taking the speaker’s gavel, pledging open debate and an open door to both Republicans and Democrats.

The floor fight dragged on for the better part of a week, the longest since 1859, and paralysed the House.

By Friday afternoon, McCarthy had won over 15 of the 21 Republicans who had defected, and he pressed into the night for more converts, a remarkable turnabout for a man who only days before appeared to be headed for defeat. His path was narrow until the end; only a few of the six remaining holdouts were seen as open to negotiating further.

With no votes to spare, McCarthy called two supporters back to Washington to cast critical votes in his favour: Representatives Ken Buck of Colorado and Wesley Hunt of Texas. As a 14th vote stretched into the night, Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a stalwart holdout who had said she would never back McCarthy, cleared an obstacle to his election by voting “present”.

But just after 11pm on Friday night, McCarthy remained one vote short of what he needed to seal the deal. Representative-elect Eli Crane of Arizona and Representative Matt Rosendale of Montana, both voted against him, leaving his fate in the hands of his lead tormentor, Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida. Gaetz initially did not vote when his name was called.

Instead, he waited until the end of the roll call to vote “present”. Republicans cheered, but it was not enough.

McCarthy needed a “yes”. McCarthy, who rarely moved from his seat over the days of votes, approached Gaetz and Boebert in their seats and appeared to be pleading with them to change their votes, his signature smile wiped from his face.

At one point, Representative Mike Rogers, a Republican of Alabama, had to be restrained after stepping towards Gaetz.

Gaetz refused to budge, and McCarthy’s allies moved to adjourn the House until Monday, crestfallen after a defeat they had not anticipated. But while the vote was being tallied, there appeared to be a breakthrough.

Republicans quickly switched their votes to oppose the adjournment and proceeded to a 15th speaker vote, which ended well after midnight.

The final tally was 216 for McCarthy and 212 for Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, with six, all Republicans, voting “present.”

New York Times News Service