Republicans elect candidate for speaker of the House of Representatives

In a special vote held on Capitol Hill, House Republicans voted in favor of Scalise, the current majority leader. He narrowly edged out the other candidate, Judiciary Committee Chairman and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan.

The Louisiana congressman, who is battling blood cancer, is considered a hero to some after surviving a mass attack on lawmakers at a congressional baseball game practice in 2017.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Scalise said later.

THE SITUATION OF REPUBLICANS IS UNCERTAIN

Republicans are deadlocked after former President Kevin McCarthy was removed from office last week. It is unclear whether Jordan, a hardline supporter of the party’s presidential candidate Donald Trump, will support Scalise in the vote. Democrats prepare to oppose the Republican candidate.

It is unclear whether Scalise will be able to get the votes he will need from nearly all Republicans to overcome Democratic opposition. Generally the majority required is 218 votes, but there are currently two vacant seats, reducing the threshold to 217.

Jordan is known for his close alliance with Trump, especially during the period in which the then-president worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election, leading to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump supported the election of Jordan to the presidency.