Republicans who control the US House of Representatives have nominated Steve Scalise to serve as speaker following last week's ousting of Kevin McCarthy.
Mr Scalise, who is currently number two on the Republican leadership ladder, must still win approval from the full house before he can take the job.
Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 majority.
They picked Mr Scalise over House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan in a vote held behind closed doors.
Mr Scalise, 58, has drawn the support of many veteran and establishment Republican politicians.
It remains to be seen whether Mr Jordan's backers will support Mr Scalise when his nomination comes up for a vote in the full house.
In January, Mr McCarthy had to endure 15 rounds of voting before claiming the speakership.
Republicans rejected a proposal to require that the nominee secure 217 votes out of the 221-member caucus.
The proposal was intended to ensure that the nominee could succeed on the house floor if the chamber's 212 Democrats united in opposition as expected.
Republicans say they need to quickly resolve a leadership vacuum that has prevented the house from addressing the Israel-Gaza conflict, approving more aid to Ukraine and passing spending bills before current funding runs out on 17 November.
"It's really, really important that this Congress get back to work," Mr Scalise said.
He and Mr Jordan told Republicans at a closed-door forum yesterday that they would each back the candidate chosen as nominee.
It took only eight Republicans to oust Mr McCarthy last week, a fact that could make leading the caucus a challenge for any new speaker.
While he was the first speaker in US history to be removed in a formal vote, the last two Republicans to hold the job wound up leaving under pressure from party hardliners.
Americans have little confidence in Congress' ability to overcome its partisan differences and the Republican infighting that led to Mr McCarthy's removal.
Some 64% of respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll last week said they did not believe that Washington politicians could put aside partisan disagreements for the good of the nation.
