Republicans tap Steve Scalise as pick for next House speaker

House Republicans chose Majority Leader Steve Scalise as their pick to be speaker of the House ahead of an expected floor vote this afternoon.

Scalise (R-La.) edged out House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) 113-99 in the closed-door balloting, a vote that exposed still-raw feelings in the GOP conference following last week’s ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

“There was a vote,” said a visibly annoyed Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a supporter of Jordan, “and there was someone who won.”

Before picking Scalise, Republicans defeated a proposed rule change that would have raised the threshold to be the party’s speaker nominee to 217, an outright majority of all current members of Congress.

The House currently has 221 Republican members and 212 Democratic members.

Scalise must receive a majority of all members voting for someone by name to win the gavel