Mr. Scalise has withdrawn his candidacy for House speaker one day after winning the Republican nomination, citing ‘agendas’ by some in the party.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) announced Thursday evening he’s dropping out as a candidate for speaker of the House, just a day after winning the Republican nomination.
“It’s been quite a journey. And there’s still a long way to go. I just shared with my colleagues that I’m withdrawing my name as a candidate for speaker-designee,” Mr. Scalise told reporters on Capitol Hill.
“Our conference still has to come together, and it’s not there,” he added. “There are still some people that have their own agendas. And I was very clear we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs.”
Earlier, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said during the GOP conference that Mr. Scalise would need to “make the decision” if he received 20 to 30 “hard nos.”
“We don’t want to drag this thing out,” he told The Epoch Times. “Now it’s time to come to some conclusion.”
Mr. Scalise held a closed-door meeting of the GOP conference to address lingering concerns about his candidacy among party members earlier that same day.
The House has been without a leader for 10 days, with many Republicans expressing frustration over the delay and urging colleagues to resolve the matter quickly.
Mr. Scalise expressed his own sentiments on that matter on Thursday. “We have to put our agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs,” he said.
“This country is counting on us to come back together,” he continued.
“This House of Representatives needs a speaker and we need to open up the House again. But clearly, not everybody is there and there’s still schisms that have to get resolved.”
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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