Republican candidate for Speaker (President) of the US House of Representatives, Steve Scalise, announced on Thursday evening, October 12, that he was withdrawing his candidacy. The Louisiana representative-elect, already leader of the House Republican caucus, won an informal election Wednesday to replace Kevin McCarthy, who was fired on Oct. 3. However, he failed to garner the support he needed due to fratricidal clashes between moderate elected officials and Trumpist troublemakers within his party.
At 58, he had won the support of many party heavyweights and was chosen over Jim Jordan, who chairs the Judiciary Affairs Committee, is known for his skepticism about American aid to Ukraine and was endorsed by Donald Trump.
But to officially move to the top, Mr. Scalise had to pass the crucial stage of voting in the full session of the House, which is narrowly controlled by his colleagues – 221 seats to 212 for Democrats – probably the most difficult moment of all this process. He needed 217 votes to be elected. In the end, he didn’t take the risk of failure.
“Some people have their own agenda”
“I have just informed my colleagues that I am withdrawing my name as a candidate,” he told reporters. “If you look at the last few weeks (…), there is still a lot to do,” he added. There are still some people who have their own agenda. »
Read the decryption: Article reserved for our subscribers. In the United States, the Freedom Caucus, these Republican elected officials are on the hunt against the federal government
Earlier in the day, Republican-elected House representatives debated behind closed doors for several hours without managing to resolve their differences that had prevented them from agreeing on a replacement for the ousted Kevin McCarthy for nine days.
Around ten conservatives have indicated that they will oppose at all costs the candidacy of Steve Scalise, known for surviving a shooting in 2017, or his speech twenty years ago at a convention with a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan is connected to block him.
Will the blockade last a few more days? A few weeks ? There seems to be confusion at all levels of the party. “This country is counting on us to come together. The House needs a speaker, and we need him [la] Make it work again,” emphasized Steve Scalise. “But it is clear that not everyone is there. And that there are always divisions that need to be resolved,” he added. “Why don’t we all go home and meet next week?” suggested Trumpist-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene on Thursday afternoon.
“A cross-party solution”
Joe Biden’s Democratic Party is in the minority in the House of Representatives and is therefore primarily a spectator of the chaotic negotiations in Congress. Unless there is a surprise alliance with moderate Republicans that could also put an end to this unprecedented situation.
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“The Republican civil war in the House of Representatives continues to paralyze Congress,” Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries lamented Thursday, believing that “a bipartisan solution is the only way out.”
The urgency of not leaving the speaker’s seat vacant was heightened by the crisis in Israel, allowing the House of Representatives to vote on possible measures and approve additional aid for Ukraine, among other things.
Last week’s insurrection by just eight Republican elected officials was enough to unseat Kevin McCarthy, who took fifteen ballots to become speaker in January – a first in House history.
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