McCarthy allies weigh nominating him for speaker, underscoring tension with Scalise

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy urged his supporters in the GOP conference Tuesday afternoon not to nominate him for speaker, though he declined to endorse either candidate formally in the race.

"There are a number of members who want me to become speaker again, what I have asked them is to not nominate me," he said to Guy Benson on Fox News radio.

McCarthy on Monday did not rule out being re-nominated to the speakership, prompting some of his allies to discuss nominating him again, multiple sources told CNN, which could have complicated and prolonged the House GOP's process for electing a new speaker given the California Republican faces long odds after being ousted from the position last week.

The House GOP conference is hearing from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, the only two declared speaker candidates so far, at a candidate forum Tuesday evening, with hopes of voting for a new speaker later this week, but Republican lawmakers remain bitterly divided over who should lead the party.

Entering the meeting Tuesday, Scalise said he was confident that Republicans will begin voting tomorrow to elect a new speaker, arguing that they "need to get Congress back to work."

"We're going to do that tomorrow," he said. "We're going to elect a new speaker and get back to work for the American people. There's a lot of work to do."

McCarthy did not endorse Scalise nor Jordan for the role on Tuesday. "From the position I am in today, let the conference make that decision," he said on Fox radio. "I shouldn't put my thumb on the scale."