House Republicans began formally debating who should be their next speaker Tuesday night, as the two leading candidates made their pitches to a fractious conference behind closed doors in anticipation of a GOP conference vote Wednesday.
The battle to succeed California Rep. Kevin McCarthy pits House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a stalwart GOP foot soldier, against Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, a founder of the rebellious Freedom Caucus and onetime McCarthy antagonist turned ally.
But with neither man showing signs of mustering support from a clear majority of the conference, it wasn’t clear how long it would take before a new speaker could be elected.
