Rep. Steve Scalise, who had secured the Republican Party’s nomination to be the next House speaker, officially dropped out on Thursday after he was short of the 217 votes required on the House floor to take the gavel.
At this point any Republican that’s nominated will have a tough time as they can only afford to lose four GOP votes—a point President Trump acknowledged even with Rep. Jim Jordan, whom he endorsed for the position.
But now, it looks like the Ohio Republican will have some competition from a seven-term lawmaker most have probably never heard of.
On Friday, Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia announced he is running.
“I have filed to be Speaker of the House,” he said on X. “We are in Washington to legislate, and I want to lead a House that functions in the best interest of the American people.”
I have filed to be Speaker of the House. We are in Washington to legislate, and I want to lead a House that functions in the best interest of the American people.
— Rep. Austin Scott (@AustinScottGA08) October 13, 2023
B) Scott: But I believe if we as Republicans are going to be the majority, we have to do the right things the right way. And we're not doing that right now.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 13, 2023
He will likely face an even more uphill battle than Jordan, however.
Q: "Mr. Donalds are you going to vote for Austin Scott?"
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 13, 2023
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL): "No." pic.twitter.com/OISUaoDZ9x
Next ballot is
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) October 13, 2023
Jim Jordan v Austin Scott
I’m voting for JORDAN
Jim Jordan for Speaker!
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 13, 2023
Steve Scalise resigned from the Speaker’s race today. It’s time to elect Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House. America agrees. pic.twitter.com/FZdZuz2Mir
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 13, 2023
Jordan, for his part, sounded optimistic on Friday.
“I think I can unite the conference; I think I can go tell the country what we’re doing and why it matters to them, and we’ll talk about that," he told reporters. “I think it’s important that the House get open and operating as soon as possible."