McCarthy met with a small group of lawmakers Wednesday night to make his final pitch for speaker. The meeting became a turning point in breaking the impasse between moderates and hard-liners. A framework agreement hammered out over two more days and six more rounds of voting secured McCarthy’s victory. McCarthy: “How’re we all gonna work together”. Two months ago, on election night, McCarthy and top lieutenants staged a victory party at a hotel ballroom in Washington. He kept a large celebratory wine bottle from the last time Republicans won the majority.
