Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan bid to fill top job in leaderless US House

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), a prime contender in the race to be the next Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, arrives for a meeting with the Texas Republican House delegation the morning after former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted from the position of Speaker by a House vote, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The race to replace ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy took shape on Wednesday as Steve Scalise, the chamber's No. 2 Republican, and Jim Jordan, a leading antagonist of Democratic President Joe Biden, said they would seek the post.

The two lawmakers could be joined by several other candidates in what could be a lengthy and messy battle to fill the post in the House where Republicans hold a majority.