Pressure growing, Republicans still divided on who will be the next House speaker

House Republicans are bracing for what could be a divided and drawn-out speaker's fight this week as they appear to struggle to unify behind one candidate.

The GOP conference will meet late Tuesday to hear from the two candidates running to be speaker of the House: Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Republicans are facing increased pressure to coalesce around one candidate quickly so the House can provide aid to Israel after Hamas-led attacks have left hundreds of Israelis dead in the most devastating assault on Israel in five decades. At least 11 Americans are among those killed in the attacks.

Scalise is a known survivor. He is currently undergoing aggressive treatment for blood cancer, and in 2017 he was shot at a practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. His competition is combative Jordan, the chairman of House Judiciary Committee, founder of the far-right House Freedom Caucus and one of the Republicans leading the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

While both candidates have received endorsements, it's not clear if either has 217 votes, the number needed to win the top spot on the House floor.

Even former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted from speakership last week in a historic vote, said Monday that he's willing to serve as speaker again if neither candidate can garner enough support.

"I'm going to allow the conference to do their work. But the one thing I would ask my conference: You have 96% of the conference in one place, and you're allowing 4%, with the Democrats playing politics, that now are putting the doubt inside this body," McCarthy said at a press conference Monday, referring to those who voted to oust him from speakership.

Republicans plan to hold an internal conference vote Wednesday morning, but a full House floor vote has yet to be scheduled.

"That's our goal," Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry said when asked if the full House plans to vote for a new speaker on Wednesday.

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik posted on X (formerly Twitter) that during the speaker candidate forum, each candidate will have five minutes for opening remarks, followed by a question-and-answer session with members, and then two minutes for closing remarks.

Republicans met Monday night for more than two hours and are still far from uniting around one candidate.

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, said the conference needs an "extra week" to find the right leadership.

"We're dealing from whiplash. We have a lot of people who did everything they could to get Speaker McCarthy elected. It's been less than a week. The body is still warm," Miller said.

Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., said the party was "all over the map" on a way forward.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., raised concerns about Scalise's health as he battles cancer.

"I was honest with Scalise, I think his health is an issue. I don't want somebody that is going to deteriorate in the job. This is a tough job. You got to be everywhere," Norman said.

But almost every Republican agrees: they want to avoid the 15-round fight McCarthy had to endure.

"How many rounds was Rocky?," Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., joked. "Quite frankly, I don't want to repeat what we did on the floor with multiple candidates, and neither did the candidates," he told ABC News' Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott.

The crisis in Israel is also adding a new sense of urgency to move quickly.

"If we remove the speaker in the middle of a war in the Middle East, a war in Ukraine, a crisis at our southern border. These folks need to be serious about the government," Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Scott.

"If anything, you know, doesn't demonstrate more than Hamas and a terrorist organization funded by Iran invading Israel -- if that doesn't wake up the members of my conference, then I don't know what else would," Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, said Monday night.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul told ABC News that the lack of a speaker "projects weakness" on the world stage amid the war in Israel.

"We're tired of the childish games. We have to be adults in the room, get this thing done, and get the work of the American people done -- but also help the people of Israel defend themselves," McCaul said.

On Tuesday, the McCaul and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, along with 390 lawmakers, introduced a bipartisan resolution to support Israel.

The bipartisan resolution condemns Hamas and offers military assistance for Israel. It almost certainly wouldn't come up for a vote until a new speaker is selected, McCaul said.

"The eyes of the world are watching Congress. We don't have a speaker. It's a bit dysfunctional. And I think that projects weakness. We have to elect a speaker immediately," he said.

McCaul said he believes there could be a vote on a new speaker of the House this week, "given the events of late."

"...It just shows the dire necessity that we have to," McCaul said. "Hopefully we won't have 15 rounds and a lot of drama."

ABC News' Jay O'Brien contributed to this report.

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