Steve Scalise wins House Republican speaker nomination

No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise won the GOP nomination for speaker, clearing the way for a vote to make the election official. Republicans held a secret, closed-door vote Wednesday morning after days of drama and infighting. Scalise, who is battling blood cancer, beat House Judiciary Speaker and Trump ally Jim Jordan by a 113-99 vote.

But it’s still a steep road ahead for Scalise to make the promotion official — he needs to garner at least 217 votes on the House floor. It is unclear when the vote will be scheduled, but it could take place as soon as this afternoon. DailyMail.com has learned that representatives Max Miller and Lauren Bobert still intend to vote Jordan on the floor, which could delay the process if others join. However, it remains to be seen whether Jordan will be completely out of the game.

Additionally, Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida and others have pledged to continue supporting Kevin McCarthy — despite not being on the ballot. Last week, eight Republicans voted with Democrats to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, leaving a power vacuum on Capitol Hill. Days later, Reps. Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise threw their hats in the ring for the top leadership position.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the fiery Florida lawmaker who initiated the vote to oust McCarthy, said Wednesday he would vote for Scalise, calling him an “upgrade” from McCarthy. He called Jordan and Scalise “two respected and trusted men.”

Scalise, as a current member of the GOP leadership team, appears to have gained more traction among establishment Republicans, while Jordan has remained popular on the right wing of the convention. The secret ballot for the speaker nominee came after Republicans voted to reject a plan to increase the number of votes needed to select a speaker nominee to 217. Scalise only needed a majority to clinch the nomination before the vote closed. .

Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., is running to replace Scalise as majority leader. He said a vote for the speaker could be held as early as 3pm today. Tensions between McCarthy and Scalise are an open secret in Washington. They first boiled over publicly when conservatives were angered by McCarthy’s deal with Joe Biden on the debt ceiling.

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