Plan B: Steve Scalise On Deck In House Speaker Battle

Playbook reports:

As Kevin McCarthy struggles to nail down the votes to be House speaker, a group of lawmakers has quietly approached No. 2 leader Steve Scalise about running should McCarthy falter, according to multiple GOP members and aides.

Their message? “Steve, just be ready,” according to one member currently backing McCarthy who spoke to us late last night on condition of anonymity. Scalise was uncontested in his bid for majority leader in the new Congress, the lawmaker noted, and “could be a good consensus leader if things don’t go well for Kevin.”

Conservatives’ openness to a Speaker Scalise became apparent last weekend, when Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) told the New York Post he was willing to consider the idea.

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“Scalise is a party hero. He got shot. He’s a southerner. He’s more conservative than Kevin,” said one Freedom Caucus insider.

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— Jeff Nesbit (@jeffnesbit) December 19, 2022