GOP Nominates Steve Scalise for House Speaker

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Facts

  • Following a party ballot, House Republicans have nominated current majority leader and Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) to be the chamber's next speaker, following Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) removal last week.1
  • Scalise, 58, secured the nomination after beating House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan by 113-99 votes. Scalise was first elected into the House in 2008, and later became chairman of the Republican Study Group in 2012 as well as House majority whip in 2017.2
  • Prior to 2008, Scalise served in the Louisiana House of Representatives between 1996 and 2007. He will require at least 217 votes within the entirety of the House of Representatives in order to be elected as speaker.3
  • Republicans currently hold a 221-212 majority in the chamber. Kevin McCarthy required 15 rounds of voting in January this year in order to assume the role after Democrats consistently voted on party lines for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).4
  • Speaking to reporters following the vote, Scalise stated that there was 'a lot of work to do,' while affirming that it was a priority to send 'a message to people all throughout the world that the House is open and doing the people's business.'5
  • Up to 20 Republicans reportedly still oppose Scalise and are reluctant to back him as speaker.6
  • The House cannot bring forward legislation to pass or reject on the chamber's floor without an elected speaker, while a Nov. 17 deadline remains for Congress to pass a new budget in order to avoid a federal government shutdown.7

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2NPR Online News, 3Time, 4VOA, 5CBS, 6Roll Call and 7Forbes.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by National Review. It's time now to proceed. 217 votes must be either found in favor of Scalise, or Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) must be given the appropriate powers to run the House in the short term. The situations concerning Israel, Ukraine, and a federal shutdown must be addressed — there seems to be a path forward now for the next chapter of GOP-led House leadership.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by The Daily Beast. Despite Scalise's nomination, Republicans in the chamber are in fact bitterly divided and the Louisiana lawmaker's power seems to have already been undermined by a lack of party consensus. With the pro-Jordan faction potentially refusing to accept defeat, Americans may be in for a repeat of the chaos of January. The GOP needs to figure this out with so many simmering crises.

Predictions