Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has won the majority of votes in the House GOP conference to become the new House Speaker, but he faces difficulty in uniting the 217 Republicans necessary to vote for him due to petty and more esoteric disagreements. This follows previous Republican rebellions, such as the battles between then-Speaker John Boehner and the House Freedom Caucus. Meanwhile, a traumatic event recently struck the immediate family of a TPM writer, involving a car accident and a sailing accident. These events have been difficult for both the family and Scalise as he attempts to gain the necessary support.
