Steve Scalise Secures GOP Nod for Speaker But Fails to Win 217 Votes

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) won the Republican nomination for Speaker of the House but failed to garner enough support to win on the House floor.

The Louisianan secured 113 votes in conference, while challenger Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) garnered 99 votes. Eight Republicans voted “present.”

Scalise now somehow must gain the support of an overwhelming number of those who did not back him. At least four Republicans, Reps. Max Miller (R-OH), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Chip Roy (R-TX), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) have already said they will support Jordan on the floor regardless of Wednesday’s outcome, and more are expected.

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…

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) October 11, 2023

Additionally, at least one member, Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), pledged, after the conference vote, to vote for Speaker Emeritus Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on the floor.

HISTORIC: House Votes to Remove Kevin McCarthy from Speakership

U.S. House of Representatives

Those detracts alone are enough to deny Scalise the nomination on the floor.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) will have 212 Democrats voting unanimously for his nomination on the House floor.

Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) said a floor vote is expected at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday.

Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) said he expects a floor vote for speaker as soon as 3 PM today for House Speaker

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 11, 2023

Republicans voted to table an amendment to the rules offered by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) that would have raised the threshold to nominate a speaker to the 217 votes necessary to win on the floor.

However, the challenge for Scalise to gain 217 floor votes did not disappear with the Roy amendment. Republicans now must decide how they will work out this new problem.

I will not be voting for @SteveScalise on the floor this afternoon. The House GOP should NOT have called a vote at 300pm after finishing the vote at 130pm in Conference. That is unacceptable & purposeful.

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) October 11, 2023

Most Republicans have desired to avoid another January debacle, but with supporters of Jordan and McCarthy entrenched — and perhaps others unhappy with the process or harboring other grievances — an immediate floor vote seems almost sure to set down the rocky path Republicans traveled only nine months ago to nominate McCarthy.

By rushing the vote to the floor without adequate support to win, Scalise seems content to once again hash Republican division out on the floor and rely on pressure on his detractors from the mainstream media to eventually secure the nomination.

Max Miller and Tom Massie are both no right now for Scalise. https://t.co/JFHWqU57io

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 11, 2023

Follow Bradley Jaye on Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.