Desperate Republicans consider all options in speaker stalemate, including Trump and Democrats

Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s path to the House speaker’s chair hit a brick wall Thursday as roughly 20 conservatives refused to support him, prompting Republicans to panic.

Lawmakers desperate to begin legislating pitched wild ideas such as cutting deals with Democrats and naming alternative candidates, including former President Donald Trump.

Several hours of closed-door discussions among rank-and-file Republicans did not persuade Scalise holdouts. Instead, he lost at least one supporter, Rep. Ana Paulina Luna of Florida, who said she no longer backed the Louisiana Republican after backlash from her pro-Trump constituency.

Frustration boiled over as the chamber remained paralyzed because of rules prohibiting legislative business without an elected speaker. A group of hard-line conservatives pushed out Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Oct. 4, and many refuse to support Mr. Scalise.