Rep. Steve Scalise makes pitch to Republicans as House Speaker race remains undecided

Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise Thursday made his pitch to fellow Republicans as he sought to close the deal on his bid to become Speaker of the House.

After winning a narrow majority of Republicans to grab the nomination to be speaker, Scalise addressed a closed-door lunchtime meeting of all 221 GOP lawmakers to seek their support in a vote of the entire House.

“It’s going to be a really good conversation with our full conference,” Scalise said as he walked into the meeting on Capitol Hill.

With several Republican lawmakers vowing to oppose Scalise for various reasons, at least initially, it remained unclear if he can win the 217 votes needed to secure the speaker’s gavel.

It also remained unclear whether the full House would start to vote later Thursday on a new speaker or if it would remain effectively shut down for now while Scalise tries to win over opponents.

Scalise is considered a staunch conservative but has also been a longtime member of the House leadership, giving him an edge with more establishment-oriented Republicans.

The vast majority of the GOP conference, including most of those who backed Jordan, appeared ready to support Scalise now that he has the party’s official nod.

Jordan himself is expected to give a speech nominating Scalise, a move that would normally pave the way for victory.

But some GOP lawmakers are determined to put their own political stances ahead of the collective decision of the party, especially after party discipline effectively went out the window as a group of just eight hardliners engineered the ouster of ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, denounced his divided Republican caucus for “playing with fire” by not uniting to fill the leadership vacuum quickly.

“I see a lot of threats out there, but one of the biggest threats I see is in that room,” McCaul said in a remarkable commentary on his own party.

Former President Trump, who had endorsed Jordan, suggested he does not plan to get behind Scalise.

Trump called it a dealbreaker that Scalise is battling a curable blood cancer.

“The problem, you know, Steve is a man that is in serious trouble, from the standpoint of his cancer,” Trump told Fox News.

That dynamic could lead to a lengthy fight and even a floor fight similar to the marathon battle that McCarthy had to cope with in January before he won the speakership.

Democrats are expected to vote in unison for their own candidate, Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, in any speaker fight, no matter how long it stretches on.

They say the drama on the Republican side reflects the divided GOP’s inability to govern.

One wild card is the war in the Middle East. With Israel still reeling from the worst terror attacks in decades, some analysts believe Republican holdouts may not have the stomach for a lengthy fight that would delay aid to the Jewish state.