Steve Scalise will now need to rally all party members to ensure he wins a full chamber vote on the floor of the House
Steve Scalise thanks House Republican for nominating him for Speaker
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Rep Steve Scalise is now facing an uphill battle after he won the Republican nomination to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Majority Leader and Louisiana congressman defeated Donald Trump-endorsed Rep Jim Jordan to narrowly win the Republican Party’s nomination on Wednesday in a 113-99 vote to replace Kevin McCarthy.
Party members voted behind closed doors on Wednesday morning.
But the party declined to call a vote of the whole chamber later that day as questions remain as to whether he has enough support from his party to take the gavel.
Mr Scalise can only afford to lose four Republican votes to take the role.
Several Republicans including far-right MAGA lawmakers Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene have already said that they will still vote for Mr Jordan on the House floor.
Ms Greene claimed that she wouldn’t vote for Mr Scalise due to his health issues.
It could be some time before the House has a speaker again. In January, the House went through a staggering 15 votes before Mr McCarthy finally surpassed the vote threshold.
Marjorie Taylor Greene reveals why Steve Scalise won’t get her vote
Rachel Sharp12 October 2023 11:45
At Romney-Ryan donor summit, disaffected Republicans seek Trump alternatives
The last Republicans to top a presidential ticket before Donald Trump’s takeover of the GOP are still holding out hope that a more palatable alternative to the ex-president will present itself before nominating contests for next year’s election are complete.
On Tuesday, Utah Senator Mitt Romney and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan convened a high-level confab in Park City, Utah to discuss foreign policy, technology and business matters at this year’s edition of the annual E2 summit.
Among the attendees will be four of the candidates who’ve been vying — thus far unsuccessfully — to gain traction against Mr Trump in next year’s GOP primary: ex-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former vice president Mike Pence, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.
Read more…
Andrew Feinberg12 October 2023 11:15
Steve Scalise still faces uphill battle to become next speaker
Rep Steve Scalise is now facing an uphill battle after he won the Republican nomination to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Majority Leader and Louisiana congressman defeated Donald Trump-endorsed Rep Jim Jordan to narrowly win the Republican Party’s nomination on Wednesday in a 113-99 vote to replace Kevin McCarthy.
Party members voted behind closed doors on Wednesday morning.
But the party declined to call a vote of the whole chamber later that day as questions remain as to whether he has enough support from his party to take the gavel.
Mr Scalise can only afford to lose four Republican votes to take the role.
Several Republicans including far-right MAGA lawmakers Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene have already said that they will still vote for Mr Jordan on the House floor.
Ms Green claimed that she wouldn’t vote for Mr Scalise due to his health issues.
It could be some time before the House has a speaker again. In January, the House went through a staggering 15 votes before Mr McCarthy finally surpassed the vote threshold.
Rachel Sharp12 October 2023 10:45
Profile: Steve Scalise — the GOP leader with sights on speaker’s gavel
Despite serving as House majority leader under Mr McCarthy, the Louisiana Republican has a strained relationship with the Californian. In 2018, Mr Scalise said he was interested in the speakership after the upcoming departure of then-Speaker Paul Ryan if Mr McCarthy couldn’t get the support he needed, with the relationship between the two men subsequently taking a turn for the worse.
The 58-year-old Mr Scalise served in the Louisiana state House and had a very brief tenure in the state Senate before he joined the US House in 2008, picking up Bobby Jindal’s seat when he became governor.
Grabbing the top post of the conservative group known as the Republican Study Committee before becoming majority whip in 2014, he served in that post for almost a decade before becoming majority leader earlier this year.
Mr Scalise and his top rival for the speakership, hardliner Jim Jordan, both voted to back objections to the Electoral College results that certified the victory of President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Gustaf Kilander12 October 2023 10:15
What kind of opposition does Scalise face?
Haley Talbot of CNN has been tracking the no votes against Steve Scalise for speaker and those House Republicans who currently say they are undecided, and things look to be trending in the wrong direction, with nine no votes and seven undecideds.
The current House Majority Leader has a lot of work to do if he wants to win the gavel anytime soon as he can only lose four GOP votes…
Oliver O’Connell12 October 2023 09:15
Congressman says Scalise won’t say 2020 election was fair because of ‘penalty’ from Trump voters
Steve Scalise was one of the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 election results – as was his chief rival for House Speaker, Jim Jordan.
And they still can’t fully speak their mind about the 2020 election results, according to a Colorado congressman and fellow member of the GOP.
“There’s a large group of Trump followers in this country that would disagree with that and there would be a political penalty for saying such a thing,” Rep Ken Buck told MSNBC on Wednesday.
Oliver O’Connell12 October 2023 08:15
Elise Stefanik takes shot at Republicans seeking leadership positions amid speaker race
New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik took a not-so-subtle shot at her Republican colleagues who are seeking new leadership positions amid the chaotic effort to elect a new House Speaker.
“Congratulations to our colleague and friend the Legend from Louisiana @SteveScalise for earning the support from the House Republican Conference as the Speaker-Designate,” she wrote on X on Wednesday. “Now is NOT the time to be campaigning for other leadership positions, House Republicans must work to unite to elect the Speaker – and that is my focus as Conference Chair at this important time.”
Kevin Hern of Oklahoma and Tom Emmer of Minnesota have both announced plans to run for House Majority Leader, the post Mr Scalise will vacate if he’s elected Speaker of the House.
Oliver O’Connell12 October 2023 06:15
What does Trump’s ignored speaker endorsement say about the GOP?
Is Donald Trump losing his hold on the Republican Party?
His endorsement for the next Speaker of the House seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
Last week, the former president endorsed Jim Jordan as his pick for the next House leader, writing on social media last week that the Ohio rep would be “a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”
The GOP caucus doesn’t seem to agree, as the majority of the party now wants Steve Scalise as the next House Speaker.
The diverging opinions might not mean too much, though.
Oliver O’Connell12 October 2023 04:15
House enters recess, as speaker vote remains TBD
The House of Representatives is in recess, meaning a vote on Speaker of the House remains unlikely for today.
Steve Scalise is the Republican Party’s pick for the position, but multiple GOP lawmakers have signalled their intention to vote against him. He can only afford four defections, or else the party will have to engage in another multi-ballot effort to elect a House leader who can win a majority.
Oliver O’Connell12 October 2023 03:15
Earlier: Scalise triumphs over Trump-endorsed Jordan for GOP House speaker nomination
The vote was 113-99 in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday morning. A loud cheer was heard by reporters as the result was announced.
Mr Scalise will now need to muster 217 votes on the floor of the House to become speaker and second in line to the presidency. A full chamber vote previously scheduled for 3pm ET on Wednesday has been delayed.
This will require the backing of almost all of the GOP conference — just five members could block him from winning the gavel.
The triumph of Mr Scalise is especially notable given that he defeated Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate for the role – Mr Jordan. His nomination follows the recent dramatic ousting of speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Continued…
Oliver O’Connell12 October 2023 02:15
