'We'll have the votes and finish this once and for all,' McCarthy says
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy seems all but certain that he has the votes to push this over the finish line tonight.
"I'll have the votes," McCarthy said as he headed off the House floor after the chamber adjourned until 10 p.m.
"We'll come back tonight, and I believe at that time we'll have the votes and finish this once and for all," he said.
McCarthy attempted to portray the drawn-out negotiations and multiple ballots -- the most since before the Civil War -- as a positive thing. "This is the great part," he said. "Because it took so long now we learned how to govern."
But to be clear, this is still a bit of a numbers game and McCarthy doesn't have the votes yet.
He still needs to flip votes. If there are zero absences , McCarthy would need to flip two of the six remaining holdouts: Reps.-elect Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good and Matt Rosendale.
But there are other paths to the speakership, again assuming no absences when members reconvene: Either one flips of remaining holdouts; one flip and one (or more) "present" votes; if no flips, three or more "present: votes.
Asked by ABC News what he says to those who think he's giving up too much to a small percentage of his conference, McCarthy argued that it was actually the whole conference that came together on these reforms.
"The whole conference worked on these reforms. These reforms are actually very good. It empowers the members," he said.
--ABC News Katherine Faulders, Lauren Peller, Will Steakin and Ben Siegel
