House Majority Leader Steve Scalise Withdraws From Speaker's Race, Plunging House Republican Caucus into Further Chaos
Late last evening, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) withdrew from the race for Speaker of the House after House Republicans failed to coalesce around his candidacy. Scalise, however, said that he plans to stay on as House Majority Leader. Scalise’s bid to be Speaker appeared in jeopardy earlier Thursday after former President Donald Trump and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) undercut him, with McCarthy casting doubt on whether Scalise could obtain the 217 votes necessary to become Speaker and Trump raising questions about Scalise’s ability to do the job given his cancer diagnosis.
With Scalise out of the race, Republicans are waiting to see if Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who lost an internal Republican Caucus vote to Scalise on Wednesday, will reemerge as a leading contender for Speaker. Other possible candidates being floated for House Speaker include House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-OK), House Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern (R-OK), and acting Speaker Patrick McHenry (R-NC). House Republicans are set to meet again this morning at 10 a.m. to discuss the path forward and possibly hold another internal caucus vote for Speaker.
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