(NewsNation) — Several GOP lawmakers were successful Tuesday in blocking Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker, but the path forward remained unclear, with the California Republican vowing to stay in the race.

The House adjourned after three votes failed to produce a new speaker for the 118th Congress and left the party in disarray.

The unclear strategy was evident to Mick Mulvaney, a former Trump White House chief of staff who said the 20 Republicans who voted against McCarthy are playing checkers, not chess.

“I ask them, ‘What’s the plan?’ and they’re, like, ‘Well, the plan is to prevent Kevin from being speaker,’ and I’m, like, ‘OK, that’s great, but what’s the next move after that?’ and they really don’t have one,” Mulvaney said Tuesday on “CUOMO.”

He added: “The big risk here is that the left wing of the party branches off” and tries to cut a deal with Democrats to support a nominee to the left of McCarthy.

Watch his interview above.