Steve Scalise drops out of Speaker’s race

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Thursday dropped out of the race for Speaker, just one day after he won the Republican nomination for the role.

Scalise narrowly prevailed in a secret ballot internal GOP election on Wednesday, but it was clear almost immediately that he would struggle to get the 217 votes needed on the House floor.

Momentum swung further against him, and as Thursday progressed an increasing number of Republicans declared they would not cast their votes for him.

It’s not clear where the fractured Republican conference will go next, as the House closes in on 10 days without an elected Speaker.

“It’s been quite a journey. And there’s still a long way to go. I just share with my colleagues that I’m withdrawing my name as a candidate for the speaker designee,” Scalise said Thursday night.