House Republicans Nominate Scalise for Speaker

House Republicans voted 113-99 to nominate Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House, in a loss for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the other contender. 

The Details: Scalise will need votes from at least 217 of the 221 House Republicans to become speaker. Jordan previously said he would support “anyone who can get 217 votes,” including Scalise, but support from other House Republicans was unclear. Scalise was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in August, and some of his Republican opponents raised concerns about his health. House Democrats, who all voted to oust McCarthy, nominated House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for the speakership Tuesday night.  

For Context: As The Hill (Center bias) put it, Scalise’s confirmation vote “could get messy.” In January, McCarthy’s confirmation was blocked over a dozen times by hardline Republicans who demanded concessions for their support. The vote will come amid calls for House action on the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas.

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common and fairly similar across the spectrum. Some coverage echoed previous splits on what to call the House Republicans who opposed McCarthy and often aligned themselves with former President Donald Trump; The New York Times (Lean Left bias), for instance, called them “hard-right” and Politico (Lean Left bias) used “hardline.” Some right-rated outlets emphasized that some Republicans “joined all Democrats” in ousting McCarthy, rather than just placing blame on the Republican majority.