Republicans chose Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., for House Speaker in a closed-door, secret ballot vote.
Scalise defeated House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan, 113-99. Scalise won 221 Republican votes in the House, but he still needs 217 to win. According to an insider, Jordan will vote for Scalise on the House floor and encourage his colleagues to do likewise.
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It’s unclear if the caucus will support Scalise or when Republicans will nominate him. After Wednesday morning’s vote, Ohio Rep. Max Miller called the campaign “not over.”
Miller said, “I still support Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House.” “I am not going to change my vote now or anytime soon on the House floor.”
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As with Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s nomination in January, a razor-thin majority of defectors could derail Scalise’s candidacy. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she wouldn’t back Scalise due to his multiple myeloma.
Greene wrote on Twitter, “I like Steve Scalise, and I like him so much that I want to see him defeat cancer more than sacrifice his health in the most difficult position in Congress.”
On social media, Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie said Scalise lost his support “because he has not articulated a viable plan for avoiding an omnibus” spending package. As the budget ends on November 17, the House speaker, whoever is elected, must adopt long-term financial measures and prevent a government shutdown.
Texas Republican Keith Self supported Scalise on the floor but voted for Jordan in closed session.
He told reporters, “We have to get back to work.” “Steve Scalise was our nominee after voting. It was close, but elections generally end that way.”
Republicans want to avoid another lengthy public debate like McCarthy did when he won in January after fifteen voting rounds. Scalise met with many opponents Wednesday night.
Before the conference vote, Arizona Republican Juan Ciscomani said, “The message was, let’s make sure we’re united before we go to the floor.” “And now we have work to do to make sure that the people who didn’t vote for Steve Scalise do so on the floor.”
Who is Steve Scalise?
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At fifty-eight, Scalise won a special election in 2008 to succeed Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.
A former systems engineer became a politician after being chosen as a student government speaker twice at Louisiana State University. He served in the Louisiana State Legislature for twelve years before entering the U.S. House.
In 2012, he became Republican Study Group chairman, changing his career.
Scalise, the House majority whip, was shot in 2017 while playing second base for the congressional baseball club in Alexandria, Virginia. After the shooting, Scalise had a long recovery because the bullet passed over his pelvis, shattering bones, hurting internal organs, and causing major bleeding. He needed many operations and blood transfusions.
After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a “very treatable blood cancer,” Scalise began treatment in August. “I have now begun treatment, which will continue for the next several months,” he told X.
If the position opens up, Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern and Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, the majority whip, are the main possibilities.
Claudia Grisales contributed to this story.
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