House Majority Leader Steve Scalise dropped out of the race for speaker of the House on Thursday.
“I just shared with my colleagues that I’m withdrawing my name as a candidate for the speaker designee … If you look at where our conference is, there’s still work to be done. Our conference still has to come together and is not there,” Scalise said.
“There are still some people that have their own agendas and I was very clear we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs. This country is counting on us to come back together. This House of Representatives needs a speaker and we need to open up the House again, but clearly not everybody is there and there’s still schisms that have to get resolved,” he added.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) announces he is withdrawing from the speaker race. pic.twitter.com/G9EbSSeGMx
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 13, 2023
House Republicans nominated Scalise to be the next speaker of the House by a margin of 113 of the 212 votes cast in a secret ballot vote Wednesday. (RELATED: House Republicans Nominate Steve Scalise For Speaker In Secret Ballot Vote)
Behind closed doors, House Republicans debated who should lead their caucus, as the party was not unified behind a candidate before the meeting. Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, who received the other 99 votes, is also seeking the gavel, while recently ousted speaker Kevin McCarthy had support from several members but told colleagues not to re-nominate him. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: MTG Explains Why She Will Vote For Jim Jordan Over Steve Scalise For Speaker Of The House)
Scalise would have needed 217 votes on the floor to be elected speaker of the House.