Louisianan Scalise struggles for home state support in Speaker's race

THE NEWS

Rep. Steve Scalise is struggling to win support from fellow members of the Louisiana delegation in his bid for Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Seven of the 10 Republican members of the Ohio delegation have endorsed Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, including Reps. Troy Balderson, Mike Carey, Max Miller, Warren Davidson, Mike Turner, Bill Johnson and Bob Latta. Reps. David Joyce and Brad Wenstrup have not yet endorsed either candidate. (Jordan would obviously vote for himself). Scalise, however, has only landed one endorsement from a Louisiana member, Rep. Julia Letlow, who became the first Louisiana woman to be elected to the House of Representatives in 2021.

The Ohio delegation, by contrast, is falling behind Jordan.

Kadia’s view

The candidates are expected to present their cases before House Republicans on Tuesday, ahead of a closed-door vote on Wednesday. There is still enough time for some stragglers to raise their hands for their respective candidates, but the single-endorsement dynamic for Scalise isn’t a good sign for the House veteran who serves as dean of the delegation.

It’s particularly interesting that Garret Graves, R-La., an integral figure in the debt limit negotiations and shutdown talks, hasn’t backed Scalise. His silence lay bare to rumors that surfaced about former Speaker Kevin McCarthy angering members of leadership after he deputized Graves during crucial House negotiations.

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., who serves as vice chair of the Republican conference, hasn’t picked a side yet even as he serves in a leadership role with Scalise.

Notable

The big newspaper profiles of the candidates have begun to drop: The Wall Street Journal on Scalise and the New York Times on Jordan.

Politico cast the choice as “heir apparent” versus “chaos agent.”

Scalise is also trying to quell worries about his health.