House Republicans Race to Select Nominee for Speaker After Historic Ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy

House Republicans are meeting behind closed doors Wednesday to select their nominee for speaker after the historic ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy last week. Reps. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, Erin Houchin of Indiana, and Mike Carey of Ohio are set to nominate Jordan for speaker, while Reps. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, Ashley Hinson of Iowa, and John James of Michigan are expected to nominate Scalise, according to sources familiar with the process.

The House has been at a standstill since the unprecedented vote that left the speaker post vacant, though the attacks in Israel have lent urgency to filling the role. The nominee will still need to secure a simple majority of all House members — which will translate to at least 217 of the 221 GOP members.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Tuesday night that the chances of Republicans settling on a speaker Wednesday morning were slim. “I put it at 2%,” he said. Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan have been making their pitches to small caucuses and state delegations in an effort to secure the gavel.

The process of selecting a new speaker has been complicated by the unprecedented nature of the vote that left the post vacant. With the attacks in Israel lending urgency to the process, House Republicans are hoping to select a nominee that can secure a simple majority of all House members. It is unclear when a final decision will be made, but the process is ongoing.