Speaker vote in House delayed due to Republican Scalise holdouts.
The House Delays Vote for New Speaker as Republicans Seek Support for Scalise
The House of Representatives adjourned for a brief recess on Wednesday, putting a hold on the vote to elect a new House speaker. The delay is due to Republicans working to secure enough support for Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who was chosen as the party’s nominee in a closed-door meeting earlier in the day.
During the meeting, House Republicans elected Scalise as the GOP nominee in a 113-99 vote, defeating Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) in a secret ballot election. However, the full vote on the matter has been postponed, and it is uncertain when it will take place.
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“We’re gonna recess subject to the call the chair, and we’ll see,” Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) told reporters. “The speaker designee has the right to put his votes together for the floor and make sure the timing is right.”
McHenry explained that this was a planned pro-forma session, and there is a possibility that the House could reconvene later to start the vote for speaker. However, everything is still uncertain at this point.
The vote was initially scheduled for Wednesday afternoon but was postponed after several rank-and-file Republicans expressed opposition to Scalise’s nomination. They vowed to vote for Jordan instead, despite him losing the nomination.
“If Jim Jordan does not get the majority within that room, I will go down to the House floor and continue to vote for Jim Jordan,” said Rep. Max Miller (R-OH).
However, Jordan is supporting Scalise’s nomination and plans to vote for him on the House floor. He is even offering to give a nominating speech for the majority leader as a way to convince any holdouts, according to a source familiar with the situation.
At least seven GOP members have already indicated that they will vote for someone other than Scalise for speaker. Their names include Reps. Miller, Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Chip Roy (R-TX), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
Greene expressed her concern for Scalise’s health and believes that he cannot effectively battle the treatable form of blood cancer he was diagnosed with in September while also serving as speaker.
“Speaker of the House is such a demanding position,” she said. “It’s the hardest job in Congress. It’s one of the hardest jobs in the country. And we really have to have someone that can dedicate themselves fully to this job. And that’s Jim Jordan. And I’ll argue we had Kevin McCarthy, who was dedicating himself fully to the job, and he should have never been ousted last week. So, I’ll be voting for Jim Jordan on the House floor.”
Scalise can only afford to lose four votes, as Democrats are expected to vote for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). This sets the stage for a potentially lengthy election process, similar to the one experienced in January when it took McCarthy 15 rounds to secure the leadership position.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who was a vocal opponent of the former speaker, plans to vote for Scalise and encourages his colleagues to do the same.
Gaetz led a group of eight Republicans in joining all Democrats to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker last Tuesday. Although centrist Republicans considered nominating McCarthy again, the former speaker asked them not to do so.
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Why are Democrats criticizing Scalise’s candidacy for speaker, and what impact could their concerns have on the final vote
Rganizing a whip operation to try to gather support for Scalise among his colleagues.
The delay in the vote comes as Republicans try to navigate a divided party and appease different factions within their ranks. Scalise, a popular conservative lawmaker, is seen as a strong candidate by many Republicans. However, some members of the party have expressed concerns about his past association with a white supremacist group and his handling of a 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball practice.
Scalise has faced criticism from Democrats as well, who argue that he is too partisan to serve as speaker and not focused enough on finding bipartisan solutions. Despite these concerns, Scalise received the endorsement of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and many other prominent Republicans.
“Steve Scalise is a proven leader and a loyal conservative who has the support and respect of his colleagues,” McCarthy said in a statement. “He has the experience and the vision to effectively lead the House and advance our conservative agenda.”
While Scalise works to build support for his nomination, the process is not without challenges. Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, and Scalise will need the support of not only his own party members but also some Democrats in order to secure the speakership.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has not yet scheduled the vote for speaker, and it remains to be seen whether Scalise will be able to gather enough support to secure the position. Democrats have challenged the Republican nomination process, arguing that it is undemocratic and does not allow for a fair and transparent selection of the speaker.
Regardless of the outcome, the delay in the vote highlights the challenges and divisions within the Republican Party as they work to select a new House speaker. The final decision will have significant implications for the direction of the House and the ability of Republicans to advance their agenda.
As the House adjourns for the recess, members of both parties will continue to strategize and gather support for their preferred candidates. The speaker vote is a crucial moment for the House and will shape the dynamics of the upcoming legislative session.
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