At least 20 House Republicans announced on Thursday that they would vote for Jim Jordan (R OH) as the next Speaker. According to reports, Scalise is expected to step down as the Republican nominee for Speaker and Jordan will likely enter the race.
🚨 #BREAKING: Steve Scalise will NOT be able to secure the 217 votes necessary to become Speaker, and is expected to WITHDRAW from the race today@RepThomasMassie (R-KY) says at least 20 Republicans will not be voting for Scalise
Jim Jordan is expected to jump back into the… pic.twitter.com/f9lBYaWFoZ
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 12, 2023
Scalise won yesterday’s Republican caucus vote by 113-99. The high number of holdouts in the Republican caucus, however, indicated uncertainty within the Republican ranks.
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-LA, is the likely nominee of the GOP for Speaker of the House. The vote was 113 to 99. This news comes a week after the former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed by an effort led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, and a group consisting of eight Republicans and Democrats from the lower chamber.
Scalise faced competition from Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who is favored by members of the conservative base. The vote totals were close, but Scalise managed to eke out the victory:
Rep. Steve Scalise came out on top as House Republicans met Wednesday to pick their nominee for Speaker.
Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and House Majority Leader from Louisiana were both present at this conference. The final vote was indeed close, with a victory by just 14 votes.
The vote was held after Republicans defeated a proposal that would have changed the nomination process to avoid a messy fight on the floor.
House Republicans voted in a closed-door meeting. The House Republicans were not allowed to bring their cell phones. Jordan and Scalise presented their arguments to their colleagues and both received endorsement
This could cause a delay as Republicans try to figure out the best way forward. There are fears of an extended vote for Speaker, as was seen in January when the former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R – CA) was finally elected after 15 voting rounds and almost a full week.
Currently, the House Republicans are meeting behind closed doors to discuss the path forward and a candidate for Speaker. We will let you know as soon as we have more information.
