Republicans on Wednesday voted to nominate Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana to serve as House speaker but are not done hashing out a way to ensure he’ll get enough support to win the gavel in a vote on the House floor.
Mr. Scalise beat Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio in a 113-99 vote by House Republicans, who cast their votes in a closed-door meeting at the Capitol.
For Mr. Scalise, 58, to win enough support to take the speaker’s gavel, lawmakers who back Mr. Jordan will have to get behind Mr. Scalise and agree to vote for him on the House floor, where both Republicans and Democrats vote for the speaker.
Several lawmakers have already pledged to keep backing Mr. Jordan, which could thwart any hope of the Republicans electing a speaker in the first round or anytime soon.
“The leader that I want to stand behind is Jim Jordan,” Rep. Max Miller, Ohio Republican, said. “And right now my mind hasn’t changed. And it could be persuadable. I’m not saying that it’s not. But in this very moment, I’m still backing Jim Jordan.”
The vote comes a week after a small group of House Republicans sided with all Democrats in a historic vote to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, from the speaker’s chair.
SEE ALSO: Republicans split over McCarthy’s ouster
The GOP, which leads the House with a razor-thin majority, had planned a floor vote to elect the new speaker Wednesday but it’s not clear when it will take place.
Earlier in the day, Republicans voted to defeat a plan to force them to keep voting behind closed doors until a candidate could garner the roughly 218 votes needed to secure the gavel in a House floor vote.
Mr. Scalise has been a top member of Republican leadership for more than a decade, building a loyal base of support among the rank-and-file in the conference. Mr. Jordan had the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and the backing of many House conservative hardliners. He is a co-founder and former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, made up of dozens of conservatives seeking to reduce federal spending and toughen border security, among other priorities.
If Mr. Scalise becomes speaker, Republicans would have to vote to fill the position of majority leader. Possible candidates for the job include Mr. Jordan and the Majority Whip Tom Emmer, of Minnesota.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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