Georgia GOP Rep Austin Scott announces bid for House speaker

Fox News

A new fighter has entered the ring for the speaker’s gavel.

Georgia Republican Rep. Austin Scott, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, announced his candidacy for the lower chamber’s speaker’s gavel.

Scott threw his hat into the ring for House speaker on Friday after Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., the original nominee for the gavel, pulled out of the race Thursday night.

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The Georgia Republican’s communications director Alex Enlow confirmed Scott’s speaker candidacy to Fox News Digital.

Scott’s candidacy puts him up against House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who narrowly lost to Scalise for the initial nomination.

Jordan received 99 votes to Scalise’s 113 during the conference’s secret ballot earlier this week.

Jordan has been shoring up support since Scalise’s withdrawal from the race, but Scott is a liked figure among the conference and could draw supporters away from Jordan.

House Republicans are set to hold their candidate forum Friday at 1 p.m. ET and are likely holding a conference vote later in the day to determine the candidate.

However, it is unclear if there will be a full floor vote to determine the House’s next speaker.

Fox News Digital also learned that Democrats have been told to stick around D.C. for a potential floor vote, meaning the vote could happen Friday at some point.

Lawmakers met at 10 a.m. and checked their phones at the door for the private conference meeting.

Four amendments to the House Republican Conference Rules that would raise the threshold needed to select a candidate for speaker before that person is nominated on the House floor were tabled during the meeting.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed reporting.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/georgia-gop-rep-austin-scott-announces-bid-house-speaker