The Republicans still do not have a candidate for speaker: Scalise, loyal to Ukraine, has withdrawn from the race

Republican Steve Scalise has withdrawn his candidacy for the post of Speaker of the US House of Representatives. He made the decision after several days of controversial meetings between colleagues.

The candidate was unable to overcome the resistance of a group of fellow party members who did not want to support him during voting in the hall.

“I said clearly that we need to put our plans aside and focus on what the country needs and the country is counting on us,” Scalise told reporters on Thursday.

He also added that there are “some people” who It's worth taking a look in the mirror and deciding whether the Republican majority in the House of Representatives is back on track or whether they are still on track.

On Wednesday, Steve Scalise beat Jim Jordan for the GOP nomination for Speaker by a margin of 113 -99, but the vote was postponed due to consultations.

What facts you need to know about the candidate

Steve Scalise, 58, has long been one of the most powerful Republicans in the House of Representatives. He has held leading positions in the party since 2012. Scalissa is being treated for blood cancer. He voted for pro-Ukrainian initiatives, but did not make direct statements in support of Ukraine.

What preceded this

• On October 3 in the United States, for the first time in history, the head of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Republican Kevin McCarthy, was removed from office
• The reason was reproaches towards McCarthy in a secret agreement with President Joe Biden due to the fact that he enlisted the support of Democrats in voting for a temporary budget bill aimed at avoiding a government shutdown.< /li>
• Before this, in the history of the House of Representatives, there were only three demands for the removal of the Speaker from office, and a vote on such an issue took place only once: in 1910, the Republicans tried to remove Joseph Cannon, but according to the results of the vote, he retained his position, although he positions were weakened.