Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., confirmed her intention to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in the upcoming House speaker election, according to The Hill.
During a Wednesday interview with CNN, Mace, when asked if she would support House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., as the GOP nominee for speaker, replied she "would not."
"I plan on voting for Jim Jordan on the floor," she added. "I've been very vocal about this over the last couple of days: I personally cannot, in good conscience, vote for someone who attended a white supremacist conference and compared himself to David Duke. I would be doing an enormous disservice to the voters that I represent in South Carolina if I were to do that."
Mace's comment on Scalise's attendance at a white supremacist gathering and his comparison of himself to David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, stems from multiple reports of the House majority leader attending such an event in 2002.
The congresswoman's statement comes at a time when Scalise is working to consolidate support among fellow Republicans. Notably, Mace was 1 of 8 House Republicans who voted to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
In the GOP nomination contest for House speaker, Scalise narrowly defeated Jordan on Tuesday with a vote count of 113-99.
While Jordan publicly stated his intention to vote for Scalise, several of his supporters, including Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Bob Good of Virginia, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, have maintained their allegiance to Jordan. Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, also expressed his support for Jordan.
On the other hand, Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., disclosed his intention to vote for McCarthy, unless otherwise directed by the former House speaker.
There are still members within the Republican caucus who remain undecided about their votes in the upcoming election. Scalise's margin for error is narrow in a closely divided Congress.
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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