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Republicans in Washington are trying to chart a path forward on Friday after Steve Scalise withdrew his candidacy for House speaker, a stunning move that leaves the party without a clear alternative to take over. Kevin McCarthy.
Louisiana Rep. Scalise, now the House majority leader, ended his campaign for the post late Thursday, a day after winning a slim majority of House Republicans in a secret ballot vote. Defeated Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan. and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
But Scalise’s failure to unite the party behind him made it nearly impossible for him to win a final vote in the House, where Republicans narrowly defeated Democrats. Jordan may now be a possible candidate again.
“There are people out there who are honorably trying to get to the right place. And then there are people there . . . Beyond TV time,” Georgia Republican Congressman Austin Scott said in an interview with CNN Thursday night. There won’t necessarily be negotiations on other things. “It makes us look like a bunch of idiots. “
Scalise’s exit marks the latest chapter in a dramatic two weeks in Washington, in which lawmakers narrowly avoided a costly government shutdown before a small group of Republican hardliners staged an insurrection to oust McCarthy.
House Republicans came together again Friday morning with Jordan expected to relaunch his campaign, but it was unclear whether he would face any challengers or face the same difficulties Scalise faced.
With the House unable to legislate until a speaker is elected, the impasse threatens U.S. leadership at home and abroad. A lack of leadership has hampered a government financing deal ahead of a looming deadline next month and jeopardized more U.S. aid to Ukraine or Israel.
According to the U.S. Constitution, the Speaker must be elected by a simple majority of the House of Representatives. With Republicans narrowly controlling the lower chamber, Scalise cannot afford to lose a minority of his party’s votes, given that Democrats have said they have no intention of supporting him.
Scalise accused fellow Republicans of putting their own interests ahead of the national interest.
“Some people really need to look in the mirror in the next few days and decide: Are we going to get things back on track?” he said after announcing his exit. “Or will they try to pursue their own agenda? You can’t have it both ways.”
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