How serious is the idea that Democrats could help the GOP elect a Speaker?

Republicans are meeting Wednesday evening for another round of votes as GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., remains short of the votes needed to secure the speakership.

One question that's been debated both in public and private is: If the deadlock continues, would Democrats help deliver a Republican speaker?

At this point, the short answer remains: No, probably not. 

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Democratic leadership aides tell NBC News that serious concessions would have to be made for Democrats to consider it, and that this isn’t a real conversation right now. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., dodged when asked about the prospect on his way out the door Wednesday night, only saying: "We'll see what happens."

Either way, Democrats are united behind Jeffries and their leadership team. And for many of them, no conversation could even be taken seriously until McCarthy has bowed out. 

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

But at least one key GOP negotiator said tonight that if this current round of talks doesn’t break things loose, the next step may be to work with Democrats and make concessions on a rules package. It’s a sign of the sense of desperation starting to grow. 

Some Democrats, like California Rep. Ro Khanna, have publicly floated some concessions they might like — for instance, agreements on subpoena power or not debating raising the debt ceiling when the time comes. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., didn't close the door on Dems accepting some sort of concessions to the rules package, either, but called it a hypothetical (and says everything is at this point): “We’ll see. But it would be unreasonable to believe that political individuals, confronted with this situation, are not talking about alternatives.”

Meanwhile, some moderate Republicans like Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon talked tonight about possible concessions they could make to some theoretically-willing Democrats. Those include committee rules, rules about congressional delegation visits and discussions about office space, although Bacon wouldn't say who he was talking to specifically about these possible concessions.

In his mind, this 11th hour approach is meant to overcome the problem that’s been plaguing Republicans all week: 19-21 people who, in Bacon’s words, “want to be the only doorway to get across and they want to exert the highest demands possible with zero give and take and I don’t like being held hostage. I don’t like paying ransom.”