Numerous House Republicans have said they will not support House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s speakership bid on the floor after he secured the GOP nomination Wednesday.
Scalise beat House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan 113 to 99 for the nomination in a closed-door vote Wednesday, but a vote has been delayed as it appears the House Majority Leader does not have enough support to secure the gavel. A long list of House Republicans have come out against voting for Scalise on the floor for various reasons, with many saying they’ll only back Jordan for speaker.
“My constituents sent me to Congress to fix Washington — not advance the broken system that routinely fails the American people,” Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde said in a statement Thursday. “This is a critical inflection point that requires resolve, patience, and courage from House Republicans to reject the continuation of the Swamp’s status quo and demand the real change in leadership that the American people deserve. Only then can we unite behind a Speaker who can effectively lead our Conference and get our country back on track. I still believe that person is Jim Jordan, which is why I will continue supporting him. While this process will take more time, it is essential that we fight to get this decision right so we can work together to save our Republic.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said she chose Jordan during the closed-door vote Wednesday, and suggested she would back Scalise after his nomination, but changed her tune on the majority leader Thursday.
“There is no consensus candidate for speaker. We need to stay in Washington till we figure this out. I will no longer be voting for [S]calise. I don’t even think we make it to the floor,” Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wrote on Twitter.
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) October 12, 2023
Texas Rep. Keith Self will continue to support Jordan during a floor vote, as he did for the nomination, he wrote on Twitter Thursday.
“While I had hoped to support the Republican Conference nominee for Speaker, it has become evident that all the agreements and Rules with the former Speaker are null and void,” said Self. “In January, we held the line for a Rules package that restores power back to the people. We need a leader with the same resolve. Therefore, I will be casting my vote on the House Floor for Jim Jordan.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia isn’t supporting Scalise for speaker due to concerns over his blood cancer, she told the Daily Caller Wednesday.
Other Republicans that have publicly said they won’t support Scalise on the floor are Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, George Santos of New York, Bob Good of Virginia, Michael Cloud of Texas, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Eli Crane of Arizona and Max Miller of Ohio.
Scalise allies argue that he is the only Republican who can garner 217 floor votes, which is what he needs in order to secure the gavel.
Scalise did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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