The Republican candidate for speaker (president) of the US House of Representatives, Steve Scalise, announced Thursday evening, October 12, that he was withdrawing his candidacy. The elected representative from Louisiana, who is already the leader of the Republican group in the assembly, won an informal election on Wednesday to replace Kevin McCarthy, dismissed on October 3. But he failed to obtain the necessary support due to fratricidal quarrels between moderate elected officials and Trumpist troublemakers within his party.
The 58-year-old had won the support of many party heavyweights and was favored over Jim Jordan, who chairs the Judiciary Committee and is known for his skepticism of U.S. aid. Ukraine and was supported by Donald Trump.
But to officially ascend to the perch, Mr. Scalise had to pass the crucial stage of voting in the plenary session of the House of Representatives, narrowly controlled by his peers – 221 seats to 212 for the Democrats – probably the most difficult moment of this process. He needed 217 votes to be elected. In the end, he did not take the risk of failure.