For the first time in American history, two Black people were nominated at the same time to serve as speaker of the House, and a majority of the chamber supported a Black candidate.

Conservatives opposed to Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday nominated Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida — a Black Republican who was first elected to a southwest Florida district in 2020 — as their candidate.

He was nominated alongside Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who had already made history as the first Black person chosen to lead a party in Congress. {snip}

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“Byron is a dear friend, a solid conservative, but mostly importantly, a family man,” said Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas as he nominated Donalds on the fourth ballot. “Now, here we are, and for the first time in history, there have been two Black Americans placed into the nomination for speaker of the House.”

The chamber then erupted into applause.

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But not everyone was enthused by the historic nature of Donalds’ candidacy. Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri, a progressive “Squad” member and former Black Lives Matter organizer, referred to Donalds as a “prop” who supports an agenda “upholding and perpetuating white supremacy.”