A bloc of Republican opponents Tuesday kept Kevin McCarthy from becoming speaker on three ballots, and the House adjourned to come back on Wednesday and try again to pick a leader.

McCarthy, R-Calif., had told his colleagues as the day began he would not back down, and his supporters said there would be repeated votes. After three votes, the last of which saw McCarthy lose one of his earlier supporters, a motion from McCarthy ally Tom Cole of Oklahoma to adjourn until noon Wednesday was adopted by voice vote.

McCarthy had 19 Republicans vote against him on the first ballot, and none moved his way on the second ballot. One more Republican joined the opposition on the third ballot, bringing the total to 20 and dropping McCarthy’s tally to 202.

Democrats were united on all three votes, with the full 212-member caucus backing New York’s Hakeem Jeffries.

So long as all 434 members-elect are voting for someone by name, McCarthy will need 218 to secure a majority and win. That means he can’t lose more than four Republicans, and his opponents well exceed that number.

McCarthy spent the hours after the House adjourned behind closed doors strategizing with allies. He emerged around 9:15 p.m. to use the restroom and told reporters that he had no breakthroughs to announce and didn’t plan to make news that night.

“Members are talking … and I think we’ll find a way to get through,” he said. “This is a healthy debate. It might not happen on the day we want it. But it’s going to happen.”

McCarthy vowed to stay in the race when asked if there were any circumstances under which he would consider dropping out.

“No,” he said. “There’s not one.”

The 20 Republicans, including new members, who did not support McCarthy for speaker on at least one of the ballots are:

On the first ballot, 10 of the initial 19 Republican McCarthy opponents voted for Biggs, 6 for Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan and three for other Republicans.

On the second ballot, all 19 voted for Jordan, with Donalds joining them on the third ballot.

McCarthy said he needs “technically just 11 more votes to win,” since some of his opponents could vote “present” or skip future votes and lower the majority threshold.

Every two absences or “present” votes would lower the threshold from 218 by one. There is already one vacancy after the death of Virginia Democrat A. Donald McEachin. But to win with only 11 opponents swaying his way, McCarthy would need most of the other nine opponents to miss a ballot or vote present.

McCarthy said no one has specifically told him they would vote present, and that his goal is still to get as many Republican votes as he can.

Most of McCarthy’s opponents are associated with the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, which is known for pushing former Speaker John A. Boehner into an early retirement in 2015 and opposing McCarthy’s bid to succeed him.

Jordan, a founding member and the first chairman of the Freedom Caucus, was part of that 2015 effort, and he ran unsuccessfully against McCarthy for minority leader four years ago.

He and McCarthy made amends two years later when McCarthy helped elevate Jordan to the only role he coveted more, the top GOP slot on the Judiciary Committee.

Jordan told reporters he still prefers that role and is not interested in being speaker.

“No. I’m being clear: I want to chair Judiciary Committee,” he said. “I like this ability to cross-examine witnesses and get the truth for the country.”

‘I like his tenacity’

Jordan voted for McCarthy on all three ballots and rose to officially nominate McCarthy for the second ballot.

“I like his fight, I like his tenacity,” Jordan said. “We need to rally around him, come together.”

McCarthy jabbed at his opponents for claiming for weeks they had a secret candidate who the conference could unify around.

“The secret candidate nominated me, so where do they go now?” he told reporters after the second ballot. “This can’t be about that you’re going to leverage somebody for your own personal gain inside Congress. This has to be about the country.”

McCarthy said he planned to remain in the running for speaker, saying he has to “stay with it to be able to win it.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise nominated McCarthy on the third ballot. The Louisiana Republican is considered a possible alternative for speaker but wouldn’t mount a direct challenge to McCarthy. And it’s not clear Scalise could meet enough of conservatives’ demands to get 218 votes either.

Gaetz nominated Jordan on the second ballot, calling him “the most talented, hardest-working member.” Roy nominated Jordan on the third ballot.