The California representative’s task was made more difficult as Republicans hold 222 seats in the House, just 10 more than the Democrats, following the midterms, meaning he needed to rely on the backing of hard-line conservatives.

McCarthy struggled through 15 ballots, the highest figure since the Civil War, and offered a number of concessions to secure the support of several of the holdout Republicans.

Republicans who persistently chose not to vote for McCarthy included Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, Eli Crane, Bob Good, Matt Rosendale and Andy Biggs.

Boebert (R-CO), who switched her vote to “present” to allow McCarthy to gain the speakership, was upbeat about the situation and pointed to the concessions the holdouts had won.

Boebert said in a January 7 release that: “House conservatives delivered a massive victory for the American people by fundamentally changing the way Congress will operate.

“We changed the way bills will be passed. We changed the way government will be funded. We changed the way committees will be formed. We secured votes on term limits, the fair tax, the Texas border plan and so much more.”

Concession: One Lawmaker Can Trigger Speakership Election

McCarthy’s tenure could prove to be an unstable one after he accepted the key concession to restore the ability of a single House member to call a no-confidence vote in the Speaker.

Under McCarthy’s predecessor, California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, a rule change was introduced that meant a motion to vacate could advance “by direction of a party caucus or conference,” possibly meaning a party’s leadership.

The move will allow McCarthy’s critics to pursue a vote to remove him, and replacing him would be made much simpler.

Motions to vacate are rare and have been attempted twice in the House of Representatives, in 1910 and 2015, respectively.

Concession: Limits on Spending

Hard-line conservatives have long been concerned about the extent of federal spending, believing it’s now unstable.

Holdouts demanded McCarthy should commit to cutting budget spending with any vote to increase the vote ceiling.

According to The Hill, Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) said: “It’s safe to say that we believe there ought to be specific, concrete limits on spending attached to a debt ceiling increase.”

But the move could result in large cuts to defense spending, a reduction that could lead to a backlash among Republican hawks.

Concession: More Subcommittee Roles for Hard-liners

While McCarthy hasn’t publicly announced any holdouts on more subcommittee roles, several wanted to extend their influence.

According to the BBC, Andy Harris (R-MD) has expressed interest in chairing the health subcommittee that controls a large amount of government spending and switched his support to McCarthy on Friday.

Should McCarthy spurn loyal supporters in favor of holdouts, it could result in his own base becoming disillusioned with his speakership and weaken him further.

Concession: Creation of ‘Weaponization’ of Federal Government Subcommittee

A key demand of McCarthy’s detractors was to be given powers to review “ongoing criminal investigations,” according to Politico.

The panel would be created amid ongoing arrests connected to the January 6 riot at the Capitol and criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump.

Subcommittee members would be able to investigate executive branch agencies and pursue issues they believe violate the civil liberties of any U.S. citizen.

Concession: Changes to House Procedures and Term Limit Vote

A less controversial demand extracted by Republican hard-liners was that members should have 72 hours to review bills before they are voted on in the House.

Hard-liners also extracted a floor vote to establish term limits for all House members. Currently, Representatives serve two-year terms and are allowed to be reelected indefinitely if they have the support of their constituents.

Newsweek has contacted McCarthy’s office for comment.