Rep. Steve Scalise as their nominee for speaker? Yes and NO!
So the house Republicans picked Rep. Steve Scalise as the nominee for speaker on Wednesday, but the Louisiana Republican lacks the votes needed to win the gavel and it remains unclear whether he will be able to win over any of the holdouts. Some in the GOP do think that Scalise is facing grim prospects of becoming speaker as he confronts opposition within the ranks, a situation that threatens to prolong the GOP’s leadership crisis following Kevin McCarthy’s historic removal in recent days. So until a speaker is elected, the House remains effectively paralyzed following McCarthy’s removal, an unprecedented situation that has taken on new urgency amid Israel’s war against Hamas. Raising the stakes further, the longer it takes Republicans to elect a new speaker, the less time lawmakers will have to try to avert a government shutdown with a funding deadline looming in mid-November. Scalise won out over Rep. Jim Jordan in a closed-door vote by the House GOP conference to pick their speake
