Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert Refuse to Support Steve Scalise in Race for House Speakership

[Photo Credit: By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Marjorie Taylor Greene, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113608751]

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) are among the at least half-dozen Republicans who have now committed to not voting for Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) in Speaker of the House votes this week, despite the Majority Leader being nominated by the caucus in a secret ballot.

The duo committed their votes to Scalise’s opponent in the caucus vote, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Scalise announced in late August that he has a form of blood cancer and is undergoing treatment. He has continued to work despite describing his malignancy as “very treatable”

Chip Roy (R-Texas), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) have also stated that they will not support Scalise.

Scalise, viewed as a successor to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California), won the caucus nomination by a vote of 113-99 over Jordan, as a result of the secret ballot voting procedure held earlier on Wednesday.

Scalise must obtain 217 votes on the House floor in order to become Speaker. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is expected to receive unanimous support from Democrats, so Scalise can only afford to lose four Republican votes if all members vote.

The vote for Speaker is not anticipated until after Wednesday.

[READ MORE: Scalise Nominated by House GOP for House Speaker]