Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., explained in a statement that she decided to vote present during the fourth ballot, saying she wants the GOP conference to deliberate further behind closed doors.

"We have a constitutional duty to elect the Speaker of the House, but we have to deliberate further as a Republican conference until we have enough votes and stop wasting everyone’s time," she said. "None of the Republican candidates have this number yet. That’s why I voted present after all votes were cast."

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., called on McCarthy to withdraw from the race and criticized what she described as the “campaign smears and tactics” to get people to turn against her group. She also rebuked former President Donald Trump as “having my favorite president call us and tell us we need to knock this off.”

"I think it actually needs to be reversed," she added. "The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, sir, you do not have the votes and it’s time to withdraw."

Once again, McCarthy failed to get enough votes when more than six Republicans voted for a different speaker.

After Rep. Davidson nominated McCarthy on the fifth ballot for speaker, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., nominated Jeffries again.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., then nominated Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.

"He’s a man who understands what tough times look like and has come out of those tough times, even stronger," said Boebert. "Byron Donalds is the man to lead us to that path of getting America on track and uniting the Republican Party."

A fifth round of votes to elect a new House speaker has begun after the previous vote on Wednesday again resulted in none of the candidates receiving a clear majority.

Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson kicked off the fifth ballot by nominating McCarthy.

McCarthy has spent the past two months being asked about one number: 218.

That's because 218 is the simple majority of the House when all 435 members are present. And a person needs a simple majority to get elected speaker.

But the math for McCarthy is actually more complicated.

There are only 434 House members in Washington, that's because one Democrat has died since Election Day, creating a vacancy. One vacancy still requires 218 votes for a simple majority.

But McCarthy and his allies say that should a member vote "present" that lowers the number of members considered "present and voting" and therefore shrinks the size of the simple majority.

On the fourth ballot, Rep. Spartz did just that. If she continues voting present, a speaker may only need 217 votes to win. McCarthy was still short and because Spartz had previously been voting for him, he actually lost a vote. But McCarthy and his allies believe that if they can get enough of his detractors to switch to "present" instead of voting for someone else, he will be able to win with a smaller simple majority.

One problem? So far, Democratic Leader Jeffries has more votes than McCarthy — so if the threshold kept falling, it could elect the Democrat speaker instead.

While the House remained deadlocked, President Joe Biden teamed up with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky to tout one of his major bipartisan legislative wins.

Biden appeared with McConnell and other Democratic and Republican regional leaders to announce a major project funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law signed by the president in late 2021. The president said the project shows what can happen when lawmakers work together.

"After years of politics being so divisive, there are bright spots across the country," Biden said.  

The appearance comes as administration officials see 2023 as a year to focus on implementing Biden’s signature economic initiatives, including steps to boost semiconductor manufacturing under the CHIPS Act, and new cost-cutting measures from the Inflation Reduction Act. 

McCarthy lost his fourth bid for the speakership, falling well short of the 218 votes he needs for the post and no closer than he came on Tuesday.

The California congressman saw 20 of his fellow Republicans vote for Rep. Byron Donalds — the same number of GOP votes garnered by Jim Jordan in the third round of voting on Tuesday. He also lost one congressperson who voted for him on Tuesday — Rep. Victoria Spartz, who changed her vote to "present" on Wednesday.

In the first two rounds Tuesday, 19 Republicans voted for other candidates.

The lack of movement came despite negotiations Tuesday night and an early morning social media post from former President Donald Trump urging Republicans to back McCarthy.

A House Democratic staffer, Aaron Fritschner, confirmed on Twitter Wednesday that Democratic leadership is advising members they may need to remain in Washington through the weekend if Republicans can't settle on a speaker.

Fritschner is the deputy chief of staff and communications director for Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia.