Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) withdrew from pursuing the role of House Speaker after failing to secure the number of votes needed.

The Thursday move left Republicans with no answers to fill the leadership role after the recent ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) is withdrawing from the race for Speaker of the House. https://t.co/HKALFcP8Lc

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) October 13, 2023

Scalise's words

“Our conference still has to come together and we’re not there,” Scalise said.

“There are still some people that have their own agendas," he added.

GOP's Scalise ends his bid to become House speaker as Republican holdouts refuse to back the nominee https://t.co/XGksL6KpZG pic.twitter.com/JDvBjFgswO

— FOX2now (@FOX2now) October 13, 2023

The details

"He had been working furiously to secure the votes after being nominated by a majority of his colleagues, but after hours of private meetings over two days and late into the evening it was clear many other Republican lawmakers were not budging from their refusal to support him," the Associated Press reported.

"Asked if he would throw his support behind Jordan, Scalise said, 'It’s got to be people that aren’t doing it for themselves and their own personal interest,'" it noted.

House speaker race highlights: Steve Scalise drops out and what happens next
The House Republicans voted to nominate Scalise yesterday, but he was unable to get all of those who voted for Rep. Jim Jordan to back him ahead of a floor vote. https://t.co/JHp3zhyifG

— Algernon Fross (@fxp123) October 13, 2023

What's next?

"Scalise defeated Rep. Jim Jordan, of Ohio, but it remains unclear whether Jordan can now secure the nomination from Republicans or whether he could get 217 votes on the House floor," NBC News reported.

"Democrats are backing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York," it stated.

The latest development continues to hurt House Republicans who appear divided with just over a year before the next election.

The division could also give an advantage to Democrats as they seek to develop plans to win back the majority in the House next year.

Republicans are still likely to choose an eventual leader from their own party as the next Speaker, yet the division is both a negative look and continues to slow down the work of the government as it faces major issues facing the nation, including recent war in Israel, the border crisis and inflation under the Biden administration that continues to cause problems for the American people.