House Republicans embark on electing third speaker nominee as Trump looms

House Republicans will regroup and again try to elect a speaker of the House this week, a usually simple task that has proved nearly impossible in a divided and wounded Republican conference that has for three weeks been unable to choose a leader.

Eight candidates from across the Republican ideological spectrum presented their pitch to their party Monday in another closed-door meeting, a rare event that has become commonplace in recent weeks. Republicans have been without a leader since they removed Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) as speaker earlier this month and then failed to coalesce around Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio) as their next nominees on the House floor.