After one week without a House speaker, Republicans appear no closer to choosing a new leader

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Republican majority is stuck and unable to coalesce around a new speaker. After having ousted Kevin McCarthy a week ago, there is no endgame in sight. On Tuesday evening, two leading contenders, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan are scheduled to address colleagues behind closed doors at a candidate forum. But they appear to be splitting the vote. McCarthy is openly ready to reclaim the gavel he just lost, but that’s a longshot option unlikely to sway the handful of hardliners who just ousted him. They’ve created a stalemate that threatens to keep Congress partly shuttered.