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Having ousted Kevin McCarthy, House Republicans are hitting trouble trying to nominate a new speaker
Stalemated over a new House speaker, the Republican majority is scheduled to convene behind closed doors to try to vote on a nominee
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stalemated over a new House speaker, the Republican majority is scheduled to convene behind closed doors to launch internal party voting but lawmakers warn it could take hours, if not days, to unite behind a nominee after Kevin McCarthy's ouster.
The two leading contenders Wednesday for the gavel, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, appear to be splitting the vote among their Republican colleagues. They outlined their visions at a lengthy candidate forum ahead of the private balloting.
McCarthy, meanwhile, who had openly positioned himself to reclaim the job he just lost, told his colleagues not to nominate him this time. Instead, at Tuesday's late evening candidate forum, he read a poem from Mother Teresa and delivered a unity prayer.
“I don’t know how the hell you get to 218," Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, said afterward, referring to the majority vote typically needed to seize the gavel. “It could be a long week.”