Steve Scalise defeated Jim Jordan in the internal Republican vote to become the top candidate for speaker of the House of Representatives. Despite Donald Trump's support for his rival, the Louisiana congressman managed to make the necessary alliances and reach 113 votes, which were more than the 99 for the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Now, he is the favorite to take the spot that Kevin McCarthy left vacant after the impeachment motion.
Some projected Jordan as the favorite, in part because of his good relationship with conservatives and the support of Trump, who has great influence over the Republican Party. However, Scalise's strategic negotiations with Tom Emmer and Antony Gonzalez gave him victory.
This is far from the end of the road for the Republican nominee, since some of his fellow representatives, enough to make him fall below the required threshold, have already announced that they would vote against his appointment.
🚨 BREAKING: Rep. Steve Scalise has officially WON the Republican nomination for Speaker of the House.
Scalise soundly defeated Trump-endorsed Jim Jordan 113 to 99.
A MASSIVE upgrade over McCarthy! 👏
Your thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/a7U5h8xBSq
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) October 11, 2023
Who is Steve Scalise?
Scalise was born on Oct. 6, 1965, in New Orleans to an Italian family. He received a bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University, majoring in political science. In fact, he was first voted into the state legislature at the age of 31, representing district number 82.
He stayed there for 12 years, then made the leap to the state Senate. However, he served only a few months because he became interested in national politics and found the opportunity to reach the House of Representatives. Bobby Jindal was elected governor of the state, and Scalise went on to take his seat in Congress, a seat he would successfully defend in 2008.
According to his GOP biography, he is "a strong conservative leader who defends the Constitution, advocating for the principles of fiscal discipline, lower taxes, an all-of-the-above national energy strategy, a strong national defense, and conservative values."
It is with a strong sense of responsibility and purpose that I seek the House Republican Conference’s nomination for Speaker of the House.
Read my letter to my colleagues: pic.twitter.com/G6YDd2SjCD
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) October 4, 2023
He received an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and worked on groups defending the Second Amendment in Congress. His topics of interest include national security, geopolitics and energy independence.
His years in the House led him up the leadership ranks, serving first as majority whip, a role focused on securing votes on the floor, then minority whip when Democrats held majority. He was the majority leader under Kevin McCarthy since the most recent Congress was formed in January.
Relationship with Donald Trump
Scalise supported the now former president in the 2016 election and then most of his policies in the White House. In fact, he voted in favor of Trump's positions 98% of the time.
He supported his first executive order, which banned people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. At the time, the Republican said that the measure made "a lot of sense," given that it sought to "make sure that people who come to the United States are not being infiltrated by terrorist organizations."
Scalise shot in 2017
In an episode that raised his national recognition, he was shot while practicing with his fellow members of Congress for the Congressional Baseball Game. The attacker turned out to be an anti-Trump domestic terrorist, targeting the Republicans present there. He received treatment for about three months and returned to legislative duties on Sept. 28 of that year.
