Allow me to preface this article with the fact that this is not a slam on anyone who voted against McCarthy. As a matter of fact, I personally fully support their vote for Jim Jordan and admire their persistence in putting forward a Republican that we can trust over raging RINO McCarthy who has let us down time and time again.

In total there were twenty House Republicans who voted against Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for Speaker during the third ballot on Tuesday, denying the GOP nominee the gavel and forcing members to hold another vote for the top spot.

Nineteen had voted against McCarthy on the first two ballots.

The votes against McCarthy on the first ballot went to Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) — who was nominated for Speaker on the floor — in addition to Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Jim Banks (R-IN) and Byron Donalds (R-FL), and former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), the only ex-member of the House of Representatives from the outgoing 117 Congress to be nominated.

By the second ballot, all of McCarthy’s opponents had unified around Jordan versus splitting the vote on “Other”.

McCarthy received 202 votes on the third ballot, and the Democratic nominee, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY), won 212, both short of the 218 majorities needed to win the Speakership.

Here’s a list of those who oppose McCarthy seeking a better future for the GOP:

Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.)

Rep. Dan Bishop (N.C.)

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.)

Rep.-elect Josh Brecheen (Okla.)

Rep. Michael Cloud (Texas)

Rep. Eli Crane (Ariz.)

Rep. Andrew Clyde (Ga.)

Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.)

Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.)

Rep. Bob Good (Va.)

Rep. Paul Gosar (Ariz.)

Rep. Andy Harris (Md.)

Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.)

Rep. Mary Miller (Ill.)

Rep. Ralph Norman (S.C.)

Rep.-elect Andy Ogles (Tenn.)

Rep. Scott Perry (Pa.)

Rep. Matt Rosendale (Mont.)

Rep. Chip Roy (Texas)

Rep.-elect Keith Self (Texas)

I applaud these 20 for holding out and for fighting to put America First values ahead of swampy politics. I get the notion of “sticking together” is far more appealing so that we can “just get on with it”, but Matt Gaetz said it perfectly during a press conference ahead of the vote, “If you want to drain The Swamp, you cannot put the biggest alligator in charge of the exercise.”