US Rep. Kevin McCarthy, right, speaks with Rep. Matt Gaetz after Gaetz voted “present” during the 14th round of voting for House speaker in January 2023. McCarthy was elected speaker after the 15th vote, but 10 months later Gaetz would force a vote that would oust McCarthy from his position. “I feel like the photo kind of shows the friction between those two people and also kind of foreshadows what we know now,” photographer Haiyun Jiang said.

How one photographer captured a year of chaos on Capitol Hill

Photographs by Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times/Redux
Story by Rebecca Wright, CNN
Published January 3, 2023

Haiyun Jiang had no idea what was in store for her at the start of 2023.

She was in Washington, DC, starting the second half of her photojournalism fellowship with The New York Times. She got her feet wet in 2022 covering Congress alongside fellow New York Times photographer and mentor Doug Mills.

"He taught me so much about what you look for, where you should stand and when to take risks and do something different,” Jiang said.

Then the 118th Congress convened on January 3, 2023, and the House — with its newly elected slim Republican majority — failed to elect a speaker.

Rep. Barbara Lee, center, tallies votes for House speaker in January 2023.

“What I thought would be just a one-day election turned into a weeklong power struggle with Kevin McCarthy having to go through 15 rounds of voting,” Jiang said. “Eventually on Friday after midnight, he (was elected speaker). That was not how I planned my beginning of 2023.”

Jiang has spent the past year capturing the chaos of Capitol Hill, documenting lawmakers navigating everything from the debt-ceiling crisis and government shutdown threats to McCarthy’s ouster as House speaker and Rep. George Santos' expulsion from Congress.

Rep. George Santos gets into an elevator outside of his office at the US Capitol in April. The Republican from New York pleaded not guilty to 23 federal charges, including allegations of fraud related to Covid-19 unemployment benefits, misusing campaign funds and lying about his personal finances on House disclosure reports. In December, the House voted to expel him in a historic vote.

Construction materials surround a statue of US President Theodore Roosevelt outside the Senate floor in January 2023.

But she’s also challenging herself to cover the Hill a little differently. She’s looking beyond the press gaggles for those in-between moments that paint a larger picture of what’s going on.

“I'm very lucky in the sense that the Times has a different mission in terms of photo coverage,” Jiang said. “We’re trying to do something a little different, bring more variety to the coverage. That’s very, very important to me — that they encourage me to be a little different, to take risks.”

Shadows of House Republicans are cast on empty chairs during an October vote for speaker.

A House aide stores smartphones in a cabinet for House Republicans during a party conference meeting in October.

Light shines on Gen. Horatio Gates in John Trumbull’s painting "Surrender of General Burgoyne" as visitors tour the US Capitol rotunda in May. “I really want to give the audience the visual option to look at what’s happening and get a better sense of the context and environment,” Jiang said.

Looking for those in-between moments — and being at the right place at the right time — has led to some memorable photos. After Rep. Matt Gaetz voted “present” and killed McCarthy’s attempt to become speaker during a 14th round of votes, McCarthy confronted Gaetz.

“That was such a serendipitous moment. I didn’t think they would actually meet up and talk that close,” Jiang said. “There were a lot of photographers on the balcony in the gallery, but I think in my angle you can see both of their faces. That’s a storytelling photo for me. It summarizes the dynamic of that speaker vote.”

Reporters stake out McCarthy’s office in October, ahead of his ousting from his position as House speaker.

Jiang, who interned with CNN Digital’s photo team in 2019, has always been interested in covering politics — partly because she grew up on the southern coast of China.

“I came from a country that doesn’t necessarily have political freedom,” Jiang said. “I think that enables me to look at American politics in a different way. I really cherish the fact that we get to witness all these historical moments because I think that’s what democracy intended — to have a free press to document what’s happened.”

US Sens. Lindsey Graham, left, and Cory Booker arrive at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January 2023.

The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of federal judges in January 2023. “We want to work hard and bring the best pictures to our editors because they put a lot of trust in us,” Jiang said. “I don’t ever want to let them down.”

Despite spending so much of her time at the US Capitol, Jiang doesn’t let the monotony get to her.

“I know that some people covering politics think about day in and out, it’s the same stuff, same place, same people, nothing has changed,” Jiang said. “But I don’t think every day is the same. Every day is different. The power shifts, the staff changes — but also, the context changes, too.”

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in October, a week after he was ousted.

Not every day is perfect. There are days when Jiang feels like she missed “the” shot, or times where she feels out-of-sync.

"When you have a rough day, you doubt yourself. Am I good enough? Am I doing enough? What can I do better next time?” Jiang said. “Doug (Mills) always tells me, ’If you don’t do well, tomorrow is a new day.’ Think about what you can do better next time and prepare yourself for that the next day, because there’s no sense of dwelling on your mistakes.”

Spectators show signs of fatigue during the third round of voting for House speaker in October.

The Longworth House Office Building is seen during the speaker race in October.

For Jiang — and many journalists — her job is more than just a job. It’s a responsibility that she doesn’t take lightly.

“It’s really a privilege to be working in that place,” she said. “It's such a magnificent building. It's historic. There are so many crazy moments that happen over there, and I get to see that.”

Young visitors gather on the Capitol steps in April.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks to reporters about a proposed debt limit deal in May.

Republican members of the House meet in October to select a new candidate for speaker.

Jiang says she’s looking forward to covering the 2024 election and the events leading up to it.

“As we all know, the stakes are high,” she said. “There's a lot of uncertainty going into next year, and I'm excited to see how that plays out. And as a photojournalist, I’m very curious to see how the American people eventually decide on what matters the most to them.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz, who led the effort to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, speaks to reporters outside the Capitol in October. "I feel like I’m on the right path” Jiang said. “I’m doing the right thing. I’m doing my job to a degree that people find informative. That’s all I wanted to do.”

She will likely be spending less time at the Capitol over the next year. She’s already booked to cover the Iowa caucuses later this month. But she will be back.

“I feel like it’s so important for journalists to stick with it, to be able to see beyond the obvious and bring the audience — which is the American public who reads the news — the best information we can present,” Jiang said. “I think that’s so important, and I don’t take it for granted. I don’t think I would ever want to leave Capitol Hill behind.”