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After securing the party’s nomination for the next House speaker, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise faced opposition from U.S. Reps. Chip Roy and Michael Cloud. Both representatives, hailing from Austin and Victoria respectively, declared their intention to vote against Scalise.
The collective votes of those, alongside a few other staunch Republicans expressing similar views, might impede Scalise’s acquisition of the gavel.
In January, Roy and Cloud, along with U.S. Rep. Keith Self, made up a group of three Texans who opposed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid for leadership. Their aim was to gain more influence for their party faction, causing a deadlock that led to 15 votes. On social media, Self revealed that he had voted against Scalise during a private Republican conference meeting, but remained undecided on his vote during the floor vote.
On Wednesday afternoon, the House adjourned without conducting a vote on a new speaker. Republicans have not yet announced a specific date for their next voting session.
Scalise is running against House Judiciary Chair and Freedom Caucus co-founder Jim Jordan of Ohio to replace McCarthy as speaker. McCarthy was removed from his perch following a rebellion by eight far-right members, none of them Texans, who had various grievances with McCarthy. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida led the push and said Wednesday he would support Scalise.
At the House Republican Conference meeting held on Wednesday, Scalise secured 113 votes to become their party’s nominee for the House-wide speaker election. Jordan, on the other hand, received 99 votes. However, it is crucial for the Republican candidate to secure 217 votes in the full House to successfully obtain the position of speaker.
During the meeting, Roy advocated for a rule that mandated speaker candidates to secure a minimum of 217 votes in the Republican conference before proceeding with a House-wide vote. The purpose of this rule was to prevent a repeat of the chaotic January speaker race and the embarrassing public spectacle that showcased the party’s lack of unity.
However, despite the widespread support for the rule, the conference decided to postpone the discussion on the rule change during Wednesday morning’s vote.
Roy appeared irate as he left the conference meeting. He declined to talk about the election as he left the room but later posted on social media: “The House GOP should NOT have called a vote at 300pm after finishing the vote at 130pm in Conference. That is unacceptable & purposeful.” He vowed to continue voting against Scalise.
After a meeting with Scalise on Wednesday night, Roy expressed his frustration over the rejection of his proposed rule change. Despite receiving support from a diverse range of members, the party’s unity was compromised. Roy declined to comment on whether he would support Scalise in the future if further rule changes were made, stating that he preferred to keep private discussions undisclosed. He mentioned that the conference is currently resolving their differences in preparation for the upcoming House-wide vote.
According to Roy, in this town, there is a prevailing tendency for the status quo to solidify and overpower individuals who attempt to collaborate across different ideologies.
Cloud also posted that he found it a “bad, bad idea” to go to a full-House vote with “barely half the conference’s support” for their leading candidate, particularly as Congress must pass government funding legislation to stave off a federal shutdown in about a month’s time.
In his post, Cloud expressed his respect for Steve Scalise but criticized the hasty attempt to bring the vote to the floor without proper agreement from the conference. He made it clear that he would not support the nomination unless there was further discussion on the matter.
In the days leading up to Wednesday’s meeting, the Texas delegation was divided in their support, with a similar number of members favoring each of the two leading candidates. The House Freedom Caucus, a staunchly conservative group, generally leaned towards Jordan, who additionally received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.
On the other hand, Scalise garnered support from influential McCarthy supporters. Having climbed the ranks in the House Republican Conference and possessing an impressive track record and successful fundraising operations, Scalise emerged as the more fitting successor.
Not all individuals openly expressed their support. Some members concealed their votes until the election day, while others claimed that either candidate would suffice and they were waiting to determine who could gather the most backing to conclude the unsavory ordeal.
“I prioritize finding a candidate who can secure enough votes to become speaker. However, I must admit that I am uncertain about the specific individual who fits this criteria,” stated U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt, a Republican from Houston. He chose not to disclose his vote from the party meeting held on Wednesday.
In addition, Representative Troy Nehls from Richmond expressed his desire for greater attempts to rally the Republican Party around a single candidate. Nehls, a strong supporter of Jordan, highlighted Trump’s endorsement of the Ohioan. It is worth mentioning that Nehls had previously nominated Trump for the position of speaker, but this endeavor lost momentum quite swiftly.
Nehls expressed his belief that achieving the task at hand is currently very challenging. He also believes that there should have been more open discussions. Nehls emphasized the importance of avoiding a repeat of the embarrassing events that occurred in January, which he referred to as a clown show.
Nehls refrained from indicating his preferred candidate on the House floor, implying that a potential third candidate such as Trump or another McCarthy could potentially bring together the party.
Although there are notable distinctions, the desire for a drawn-out speaker dispute similar to the one in January is minimal across the entire party spectrum. In contrast to January, when lawmakers voting against McCarthy were doing so to negotiate specific alterations to House rules, numerous Texas Republicans stated that there is hardly any divergence in policy between the two contenders.
U.S. Representative Lance Gooden from Terrell expressed his confidence that additional members would align with Scalise once they witnessed the widespread support he had garnered among the majority of Republicans.
Gooden expressed confidence in Scalise’s election, stating that he does not perceive the same level of chaos we experienced earlier this year.
