Steve Scalise Wins Vote to Become Republican House Speaker Nominee

House Republicans have chosen Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) as their nominee for speaker.

Scalise won the vote after Republicans huddled behind closed doors for over two hours on Wednesday.

GOP lawmakers voted via secret ballot.

Scalise won 113 votes, while Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) won 99.

House Republicans voted minutes earlier to table a motion to raise the threshold for electing a speaker to 217 — a majority of the conference.

It comes after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted in a vote by eight members of his own party and all House Democrats last week.

That moment marked the first time in history the U.S. House of Representatives voted to remove its own leader.

The contest to replace him quickly became a two-man race between Scalise and Jordan.

Scalise has been McCarthy’s longtime No. 2, despite a yearslong rivalry between the two.

Jordan, who is closer to McCarthy, nabbed early support from top conservatives in the GOP conference.

House Freedom Caucus Policy Chair Chip Roy (R-TX) was among the high-profile Republicans to back Jordan.

Jordan himself is one of the original co-founders of the group.

Jordan also received an endorsement from President Donald Trump for the job.

“He

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