Steve Scalise withdraws from speaker’s race, sending House into further turmoil

But it’s unclear whether Jordan, a right-wing firebrand who chairs the Judiciary Committee, could succeed where Scalise failed — getting the 217 votes needed to secure the job.

Scalise’s stunning announcement came after he held three hours of meetings with GOP detractors and allies, and failed to flip any of his critics to the yes column. It became clear at that point that Scalise would not be able to get 217 votes on the House floor.

Because of the GOP’s paper-thin majority, any Republican speaker candidate can only afford to lose four GOP votes; more than a dozen Republicans had come out against Scalise, according to a NBC News analysis.

“It didn’t change my mind about how I’m gonna vote,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., one of the detractors, said after meeting with Scalise on Thursday. “But it was good and constructive. I think there’s differences of opinion.”

“I don’t think the votes are there and I think we need to get moving on,” added another Scalise opponent, Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, as he left the leader’s office on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters Thursday night, Scalise declined to say if he was throwing his support behind another candidate. “I’m not getting involved,” he said.

Scalise won over some McCarthy opponents, most notably Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., but failed to flip others. His fate was likely sealed after he lost support from multiple Republicans who voted to keep McCarthy in the position, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.