Scalise Faces Uphill Battle For Speaker Amid Divided Republican Caucus | ZeroHedge

After House Republicans narrowly nominated Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) to be the next speaker over Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) by a vote of 113 to 99, several GOP lawmakers publicly announced they wouldn't support him in a chamber-wide vote.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters after a closed-door meeting of House Republicans during which he was nominated as their candidate for Speaker of the House, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

"They knew I was with [Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio] in the room, and I thought I might go with Scalise if everybody was gonna get behind Scalise, that was fine, but it's just not that way," said Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) following a meeting with the House Freedom Caucus. "There’s just people that are not on his team."

At least six GOP lawmakers said they wouldn't vote for Scalise, all but guaranteeing a repeat of January's drawn out Speaker vote when Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) took 15 ballots to secure the position.

"I just don’t think Steve’s got the votes," Moore added.

Scalise, 58, is a longtime member of House leadership favored by centrists and neocons. He needs at least 217 lawmakers to support his candidacy. Given the slim GOP majority in the chamber, and Democrats expected to nominate Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to the post as they did during January's Speakership elections, Scalise faces an uphill battle.

House Republicans are likely to meet behind closed doors today to try and hash out their differences before the next chamber-wide vote.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX)

Scalise can only afford to lose four votes on the floor

Following a meeting with GOP leaders, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) who leads the Main Street Caucus, said the division within the GOP "does not look good for the House or for the country."

"Frankly, I think it would be easier in a political environment where people understood that governing requires some give and take," he added. "I never get everything I want in any negotiation. There are a lot of people around here who don't understand that, and it makes it hard to govern. It is not a problem unique to the Republican Party, but it is on full display in our party today."

When asked if Republicans simply need to huddle in a room to settle their differences, Johnson replied: "I would like to be able to have the power to lock some people in some places, for sure."

As The Hill notes:

The House will come into session at Noon.

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