Rep. Scalise secures Republican nomination for House speaker in secret vote

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., has secured the Republican nomination for House speaker after a secret ballot vote on Wednesday, Oct. 11. Scalise edged out his opponent, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in a 113-99 vote win.

This closed-door vote does not, however, mark the end of the search for a new House speaker. Scalise must still secure 217 votes in the chamber when Republicans bring the issue to the full House.

According to NPR reporting, a source familiar with the matter said that Jordan intends to stand behind Scalise on the floor and urges his colleagues to do the same. But some Republicans have said that the race for speaker isn’t over, indicating they may not vote for Scalise when it comes to the floor.

With a thin majority in the House, all it could take is a few Republicans to vote the other way with Democrats to hold up Scalise’s nomination, like when Kevin McCarthy, R-Ky., was vying for votes for speaker in January. It took 15 rounds of voting for McCarthy to secure the gavel.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has already come out on X, formerly Twitter, and said that she could not vote for Scalise because of his battle with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. Greene added she will be voting for Jordan when the time comes.

I just voted for Jim Jordan for Speaker on a private ballot in conference, and I will be voting for Jim Jordan on the House floor.

I like Steve Scalise, and I like him so much that I want to see him defeat cancer more than sacrifice his health in the most difficult position in…

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 11, 2023

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, said he is standing behind his fellow Ohio Congressman, Jordan, adding that the race was “not over.”

“I’m still throwing my support behind Jim Jordan for House speaker,” Miller said. “I am not going to change my vote now or anytime soon on the House floor.”

Republicans behind Scalise have said the group must unite behind one nominee before bringing it to a vote on the floor. Scalise met with several holdouts on Wednesday evening, Oct. 11, NPR reported.