Steve Scalise’s Epic Struggle to Become Speaker

Punchbowl News: “House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s quest for the speakership — his seemingly impossible bid to turn 107 votes in his favor — has shades of the same Sisyphean task that McCarthy faced over the last nine months. Only the stakes this time are higher, the time frame is shorter, the opposition is larger and the House Republican Conference is angrier…”

“Scalise’s gamble appears to be this — once he became the party’s nominee for speaker, Republicans would fall in line behind him. But that’s simply not happening.”

“Scalise’s fellow Republican leaders believe he should be afforded the time to try to win over colleagues. Yet the window for Scalise is very narrow, perhaps just a few days, to show that he can get to 217…”

“The real hard-core ‘Never Scalise’ vote is probably 20 to 30 members, although it’s hard to estimate. Scalise can only afford to lose four votes on the floor.”