Oct. 12 (UPI) — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise late Thursday said he was dropping out of the race to be House speaker.
The move comes just one day after the Louisiana Republican succeeded in secret balloting among House lawmakers. Still, it was clear that he faced obstacles to attaining the 217 votes on the floor needed to secure the post.
“I just shared with my colleagues that I’m withdrawing my name as a candidate for the speaker designee,” Scalise said to reporters late Thursday, according to ABC News.
“Our conference still has to come together and it’s not there. There are still some people that have their own agendas. And I was very clear we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs,” Scalise said, according to a report in The Hill.
On Thursday, the GOP conference met for almost three hours, according to Politico, which said that most of the members in the conference appeared frustrated with the day’s actions.
Scalise reportedly was unable to change the minds of any of the Republicans who were opposed to him. One previous supporter — Florida Rep. Anna Paulina — actually changed her mind and said she would not support him.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.