WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 (UPI) — House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), R-La., told supporters he has the votes needed to win the election for majority leader amid a Republican House reorganization.
Scalise held a conference call with supporters Sunday where he said he has gained support from more than half of the 247 GOP members of the House.
“I’ve been making calls all day. I haven’t stopped working, and I know you haven’t stopped working either,” Scalise said, a source told The Hill. “In this race, the winning number has always been 124. A couple of days ago, we actually hit that number and we’re continuing to add to it each day.”
Scalise is running against Budget Chairman Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), R-Ga., in the race for majority leader after outgoing Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), R-Calif., announced his intent to run for Speaker of the House, as Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, recently announced his coming resignation.
A closed-door vote for majority leader is expected to be held Thursday. A spokesman for Boehner told The Washington Post that no changes have been made to the election schedule.
Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) joined the race to become Speaker of the House on Sunday after the front-runner, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, received criticism over recent comments on the Benghazi investigation.
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