Republican Scalise Struggles to Secure Votes for House Speaker Nomination
Republican Steve Scalise faces a challenging task of gaining enough support from his fragmented party to be elected as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
After winning the nomination in a secret party ballot, Scalise, the Louisiana Republican, needs to prove that he can gather the 217 Republican votes required to overcome opposition from Democrats and secure the role as the second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.
Representative John Duarte, a supporter of Scalise, stated, “When we go to the floor, there’ll be at least a relatively high expectation on the part of Steve Scalise and his team that he’s got the votes.”
Initially, Republican leaders scheduled a House meeting for Wednesday afternoon, anticipating that Scalise would quickly gather the necessary votes for election. However, no vote took place.
The House’s inability to act without a speaker has created a sense of urgency, as Republicans face pressure to support Israel’s war against Palestinian militants of Hamas and restart government funding legislation before the approaching deadline of November 17.
Scalise’s competitor, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, plans to vote for Scalise and has encouraged fellow Republicans to do the same. However, uncertainty hangs over the House, with some lawmakers publicly supporting Jordan and others pledging to vote for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Republicans aim to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing spectacle in January when hardline conservatives forced McCarthy to endure 15 floor votes over four days before being elected as speaker.
Scalise, who survived a severe gunshot wound in 2017, is widely respected as a veteran legislator and has gained near legendary status within Republican circles. However, his ongoing treatment for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, has raised concerns among some Jordan supporters.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who supports Jordan, expressed her concerns about Scalise’s health, saying, “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.”
Jordan, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, seems to be the favorite among hardliners. Scalise and his allies successfully defeated a closed-door effort to require a candidate to obtain 217 Republican votes to become the nominee, which left some Jordan supporters dissatisfied.
