Scalise vows to back speaker nominee, calls on Jordan to do the same 

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise pledged to back the eventual nominee for speaker – even if it’s not him – and called on his potential opponents to do the same. 

Scalise (R-La.) touted his ability to build coalitions and unite Republicans, in an interview with Politico Friday, and vowed to support whoever the House Republican conference decides to back for the speakership as part of his effort to bring the fractured conference together. 

“I want to be the nominee, but I’ll support the nominee,” he said, calling on his colleagues in the race to do so as well. 

Scalise and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) are currently the only two declared candidates vying for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s vacant seat on the House floor.

While acknowledging that there is “frustration and anger” in the conference over McCarthy’s unprecedented removal, Scalise said that he isn’t considering punishing any of the eight GOP members who voted in favor of Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) motion to vacate earlier this week. 

“Look, the conversations right now are: How do we get back on track? How we come back together?” the Louisiana Republican said. “My background is somebody who’s built coalitions, who has united Republicans to come together on really tough things.”

Scalise revealed that he is open to changing the House GOP’s motion to vacate rule, which under McCarthy allowed a single member to bring the motion to the floor for a vote.

“It’s going to take everybody in our conference working together if we’re going to change that,” he said, explaining that he wouldn’t seek the change if there wasn’t consensus.

However, Scalise was less inclined to change a rule that would likely ensure a smoother speaker election process. 

A group of 94 House Republicans have asked GOP leadership, in a letter Friday, to hold a special conference meeting regarding a proposal that would allow a majority vote of the House to determine the winner of the speaker election, according to the Hill. 

Under the current rules, a simple majority of the GOP conference is needed to elect a House speaker. 

“We’re running on what the rules have always been, so let’s go get it done,” Scalise told Politico. 

The majority leader deflected when asked about differences between himself and Jordan, but in a change from his predecessor, Scalise noted that he’s willing to take on entitlement reform in an effort to cut spending and reduce the national debt. 

“Wherever the top line number is, you still have other issues that are big problems, not just on spending, but on what’s driving inflation, which is part of the spending problem,” Scalise said.

“And, you know, getting a debt commission to address the long-term debt and the immediate term issues that are leading to insolvency — you know Medicare, Social Security. Those are kinds of things, are things that we want to talk about, too, that aren’t being discussed that need to be put on the table,” he added.

The House is expected to begin the process of electing a new speaker next week.