House Republicans announced on Wednesday that they have selected Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) as their nominee for Speaker of the House. Scalise’s narrow victory over leading challenger Jim Jordan (R-OH) now sets the stage for a contentious House floor vote to fill the vacant speakership.
In a two-hour, closed-door session on Wednesday, Republican representatives voted via secret ballot to determine the party’s nominee. Rep. Scalise won the nomination by just 14 votes, with the final tally being 113 for Scalise, 99 for House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, and 8 votes of “present.”
Wednesday’s vote marks the latest development in the battle for control of the speakership, first initiated by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) with the ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) early last week. Gaetz’s motion to vacate accused McCarthy of failing to deliver on key promises made to secure the position in January and further alleged that the former Speaker had made a “secret side deal” with Democrats during a contentious budget negotiation.
With the speakership vacated, multiple candidates were suggested as possible replacements, including Scalise, Jordan, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), and wild cards like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former President Donald Trump. However, it quickly became apparent that the Republicans were looking at a two-man race between Scalise and Jordan, with the latter receiving the endorsement of Donald Trump late last week.
Following the private session, during which cameras and cellphones were not permitted, Rep. Scalise told the press “We need to make sure we’re sending a message to people all throughout the world that the House is open and doing the people’s business.”
BREAKING: @SteveScalise speaks after winning the GOP nomination for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
"We need to make sure we're sending a message to people all throughout the world that the house is open and doing the people's business." pic.twitter.com/dHc0pwE05f
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) October 11, 2023
The Speaker vote now heads to the House floor, where Scalise will need to secure 217 votes, the threshold for a simple majority. Republicans narrowly outnumber Democrats in the House by 221 to 212, meaning that a party-line vote will almost certainly be required.
Given that Scalise fell 104 votes short of securing the full support of his own party, he may also be forced to make additional concessions in order to avoid a repeat of the 15-round debacle surrounding McCarthy’s appointment earlier this year.
House Republicans have indicated that the floor vote could be held as soon as Wednesday afternoon.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
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