Republicans voted by a narrow margin on Wednesday to nominate Scalise to replace McCarthy, but several lawmakers said after the closed-door meeting that they would not vote for him on the House floor. The number of hold-outs grew over the next 24 hours, making it clear that Scalise was nowhere close to securing the 217 votes he needed to secure the gavel.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Rep. Steve Scalise has withdrawn from the race to become House Speaker a day after Republicans nominated him for the position in a closed-door meeting.
The shocking move comes with the GOP in a state of chaos over the effort to replace Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted from the position last week.
Jordan was the other contender for the position, as well as the favorite of former President Donald Trump, who endorsed him last week.
It’s unclear whether Jordan will emerge as the nominee, or whether another contender will challenge him in a closed-door vote.
The development split MAGA Republicans, with many attacking Gaetz for plunging the chamber into chaos.
“People say it’s chaos here just because the special interests don’t have a unified way to control everything,” he told CNN after Scalise announced his withdrawal.
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