Up to date Oct 11, 2023, 07:03pm EDT
Topline
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) secured Home Republicans’ nomination Wednesday for Home speaker, bringing him one step nearer to main the Home of Representatives, after greater than 30 years in politics, which has seen him steadily rise in Republican ranks, survive a mass taking pictures and be in comparison with white supremacist David Duke.
Key Info
Scalise, who has served as Home majority chief since January following a greater than eight-year stint as Republican Home whip, introduced he was working for speaker final week following the ousting of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and have become the celebration’s formal nominee for the position Wednesday.
The congressman has represented Louisiana’s 1st congressional district—which incorporates eight parishes that encompass New Orleans and a small sliver of town itself—since 2008, and has steadily labored his method up in Republican management since then.
He gained nationwide title recognition in 2017 when he was amongst 4 individuals shot throughout a congressional baseball apply exterior Washington, D.C.; Scalise was significantly wounded, however survived and nonetheless walks with a cane as a result of accidents he suffered.
Regardless of his expertise with gun violence, Scalise has been an ardent supporter of Second Modification rights, incomes the endorsement of the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation, and saying that the assault that just about took his life bolstered his place on gun rights as he “was saved by individuals who had weapons.”
Scalise has a historical past of being a staunch conservative who helps slicing authorities spending and implementing strict immigration insurance policies, and has lengthy been a supporter of former President Donald Trump, although he’s usually not thought of a hard-right firebrand like more moderen distinguished Republican additions to the Home, reminiscent of Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.) and Matt Gaetz (Fla.).
Throughout his tenure as whip, Scalise cosponsored a Republican various to the Reasonably priced Care Act and described the ACA as a “authorities takeover.”
Scalise was among the many Republicans who objected to the Electoral Faculty outcomes when Congress met to certify President Joe Biden’s win on January 6, 2021.
Final month, Scalise, 58, started therapy for a number of myeloma, a type of blood most cancers that he calls “very treatable”—that analysis has led some in his celebration to doubt whether or not he ought to be the one in cost.
Stunning Truth
Scalise as soon as reportedly in contrast himself to David Duke, the previous Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan greatest identified for his 1991 run for Louisiana governor as a Republican. About two years in the past, a Louisiana politics blogger mentioned Scalise attended a 2002 white supremacist convention organized by a bunch based by Duke. Scalise responded by saying he attended the occasion in an try and get “help for laws that targeted on slicing wasteful state spending, eliminating authorities corruption and stopping tax hikes,” including that he “wholeheartedly condemn[ed]” the views of the group. Scalise additionally referred to as his attendance a “mistake I remorse” as he’s “emphatically oppose[d] to divisive racial and non secular views that teams like these maintain.” Duke later informed the Washington Put up Scalise would talk together with his political advisor usually, and that’s why Scalise attended the occasion, including that the advisor and Scalise have been “pleasant.” Scalise’s try and distance himself from Duke proved much less profitable after a New York Instances piece revealed days after Duke’s remark quoted longtime Louisiana politics reporter Stephanie Grace recalling an interview with Scalise the place the congressman mentioned “he was like David Duke with out the luggage,” which means he shared Duke’s “coverage concepts” however “didn’t have the identical emotions about sure individuals.”
Information Peg
Scalise defeated Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Wednesday in a 113-99 convention vote to get the nomination to turn out to be the subsequent Home Speaker, multiple outlets reported. Scalise was thrust again into the nationwide highlight earlier this month, after McCarthy was faraway from the speakership, marking the primary time in U.S. historical past a speaker was fired.
Key Background
Scalise was born and raised in Louisiana. He attended the Catholic Archbishop Rummel Excessive College in Metairie earlier than going to LSU, the place he majored in pc science and was a member of the Acacia fraternity. Scalise then labored as a software program engineer and as a advertising government at a expertise firm, in response to Ballotpedia. Scalise was first elected to the Louisiana legislature in 1996 from a Metairie-based district, the place he served till 2008, when he was elected to Congress. He’s married and has two kids. Scalise is a passionate LSU fan, usually being noticed on the college’s soccer video games.
Tangent
Scalise has helped a handful of former aides get elected to public workplace in recent times. Charles Henry, a former chief of workers for the congressman, was elected to a state Home seat with Scalise’s assist. And Matt Jewell, a former district director, was elected to be St. Charles Parish president.
What To Watch For
After profitable the GOP convention vote, Scalise might want to safe a majority of votes within the Home. Whereas it was initially urged the vote on the subsequent speaker of the Home might occur Wednesday, it finally didn’t. A vote on the brand new speaker has not been scheduled.
What We Don’t Know
It’s unclear if Scalise has the votes wanted to win in a proper election. The method may very well be grueling: McCarthy endured 15 rounds of voting in January—essentially the most drawn-out speaker election in fashionable historical past—earlier than profitable the publish, and was finally voted out of the job after eight hard-right Republicans and all Democrats revolted towards him final week. A number of Republicans have mentioned they may nonetheless help both Jordan or others when a vote begins on the Home ground.
Additional Studying
Steve Scalise Launches Home Speaker Bid—Difficult Jim Jordan (Forbes)
McCarthy Ousted: First Home Speaker Ever Booted From The Job (Forbes)
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