Steve Scalise gets the House Republican nomination for speaker

Republicans voted 113-99 Wednesday to nominate House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) over Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio) for speaker of the House. Eight Republicans voted for other candidates, and three simply voted present.

Axios reported that Scalise, 58, now needs to pick up 217 votes in a floor vote, in which several Republicans have indicated they will continue voting for Jordan, whom former President Donald Trump endorsed Friday. Democrats are expected to rally behind Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

Scalise, who survived being shot by a radical leftist in June 2017 and is now battling a literal cancer, announced his bid for the speakership on Oct. 4, stating, "God already gave me another chance at life. I believe we were all put here for a purpose. This next chapter won't be easy, but I know what it takes to fight and I am prepared for the battles that lie ahead. I humbly ask you for your support on this mission to be your Speaker of the House."

Following the vote, Scalise told reporters, "First I want to thank my House Republican colleagues for just designating me as the speaker. Obviously, we still have work to do. We're going to have to go upstairs on the House floor and resolve this and then get the House opened again."

"We have a lot of work to do," he continued. "Not just in the House for the people of this country but we see how dangerous of a world it is and how things can change so quickly. We need to make sure we're sending a message to people all throughout the world that the House is open and doing the people's business, making sure that we're unequivocally standing in our first resolution ... that we stand with Israel."

Among the domestic issues Scalise indicated the House needs to address were the flagging economy and out-of-control spending in Washington as well as holding President Joe Biden's feet to the fire on securing the border.

Conservative Review's Liberty Score has given Scalise a score of 58%. Jordan scored 94%.

CPAC's Center for Legislative Accountability alternatively gave Scalise a lifetime rating of 91.43%. Jordan received a rating of 100%.

Following the vote, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie wrote, "Surprises are for little kids at birthday parties, not Congress. So, I let Scalise know in person that he doesn't have my vote on the floor, because he has not articulated a viable plan for avoiding an omnibus."

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert wrote, "I will be voting for Jim Jordan to be Speaker of the House on the floor when the vote is called. In conference, Jordan received 99 votes and Scalise received 113. We had a chance to unify the party behind closed doors, but the Swamp and K Street lobbyists prevented that. The American people deserve a real change in leadership, not a continuation of the status quo."

Rep. Max Miller (Ohio) said after the vote that "I never said [Scalise] is the wrong leader. ... I just think right now we need to reevaluate all leadership," reported the Washington Examiner.

Miller has made clear that "if Jim Jordan does not get the majority within that room ... I will go down to the House floor and continue to vote for Jim Jordan."

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene noted on X that she too will be voting for Jim Jordan on the House floor, adding she likes Scalise "so much that I want to see him defeat cancer more than sacrifice his health in the most difficult position in Congress. I lost my father to cancer and it's a very serious battle. We need a Speaker who is able to put their full efforts into defeating the communist democrats and save America."

Texas Rep. Chip Roy also indicated he wouldn't be voting for Scalise Wednesday afternoon.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), the congressman who triggered the vote to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has thrown his support behind Scalise, suggesting he'll be an upgrade in every way, reported NBC News.

"We’ve got the legend from Louisiana who’s gonna lead us, and I think that he’ll be invigorating to our activists," said Gaetz. "I think he'll be a great communicator to the country, and I think he'll do a great job uniting the Republican conference."

Gaetz reiterated on social media, "Scalise>McCarthy."

Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) announced his bid for House majority leader after the internal vote.

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