House Republicans voted 113-99 to nominate Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) to succeed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker.
Scalise defeated Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who was backed by former President Trump, in the two-way contest to lead the conference.
While Republicans were able to advance his nomination Wednesday, Scalise will still need 217 votes from the full chamber to become the next Speaker.
A handful of holdouts could set up a floor fight, and five Republicans have already indicated they plan to vote for someone other than Scalise.
Nearly half a dozen others were publicly undecided as of Wednesday afternoon, with some indicating they plan to still back Jordan on the floor.
Flashback:
CAPTURING THE MOMENT: “Scalise’s nomination marks the pinnacle of his congressional career, which began in 2008 and has spanned more than nine years in leadership, including stints as Republican whip and, most recently, majority leader,” Brooks and The Hill’s Mychael Schnell
reported.
Scalise was shot and nearly killed during a congressional baseball practice in 2017. He was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, and said “the cancer has dropped dramatically” following chemotherapy.
Check out The Hill’s live blog on the Speaker election.