Key takeaways:
- Steve Scalise has won the Republican nomination for House Speaker, but the full House vote to elect him is still uncertain.
- Scalise won the secret ballot election held in the GOP conference with 113 votes, while his opponent, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, won 99.
- The full House vote to elect Scalise is a crucial test of his ability to lead the Republican Party, and he can only afford to lose four Republicans out of the 217 in the conference.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has secured the Republican nomination for House Speaker, but the full House vote to elect him is still uncertain.
On Wednesday, Scalise won the secret ballot election held in the GOP conference with 113 votes, while his opponent, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, won 99. While some of Jordan’s supporters have agreed to vote for Scalise on the House floor, the number of those who oppose him exceeds the number he can lose.
Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., said in an interview Wednesday that the personalities involved are different from those of last week, when eight rebels voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. If all lawmakers are present and all vote, Scalise can only afford to lose four Republicans out of the 217 in the conference.
The vote by the full House was originally scheduled to take place on Thursday, but it has been delayed due to the uncertainty of Scalise’s election. House Republicans are unsure how quickly they can elect Scalise as Speaker, as the number of those who oppose him exceeds the number he can lose.
Scalise’s election is still uncertain, but he has won the nomination of his party and the support of some of the eight rebels who voted last week to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy. The full House vote to elect him will be a crucial test of his ability to lead the Republican Party.
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