House Majority Leader Steve Scalise Emerges as Republicans’ Nominee for House Speaker
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., has been chosen by Republicans as their nominee for House speaker, following a closed-door, secret-ballot election. Scalise secured victory with a vote of 113-99, narrowly earning a majority of the Republicans’ 221 votes in the chamber. However, he still needs to secure 217 votes on the House floor for an official win.
Although there is uncertainty surrounding when the nomination will be taken to the floor and whether the conference will fully support Scalise, sources reveal that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, plans to vote for Scalise and is encouraging his colleagues to do the same.
Nevertheless, Scalise’s path to becoming House speaker may face obstacles, as a few defectors could impede his nomination, similar to what occurred with Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s nomination in January. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has already announced that she will not vote for Scalise due to his ongoing battle with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. On social media, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., also raised concerns about Scalise’s lack of a clear plan to avoid a spending bill omnibus.
Passing long-term funding bills and avoiding a government shutdown before November 17 is crucial for whoever assumes the House speaker role. Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, expressed his support for Scalise despite initially voting for Jordan in the closed conference meeting, stating, “We took the vote, and Steve Scalise is our nominee. It was close, but that’s the way elections go. We need to get back to work.”
Republicans are determined to prevent a drawn-out public battle, similar to the 15 rounds of voting needed for McCarthy’s victory in January. Scalise has already met with holdouts to unify the party before going to the floor. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., affirmed the importance of unity, saying, “And now we have work to do to make sure that the people that didn’t vote for Steve Scalise do so on the floor.”
Who is Steve Scalise?
Steve Scalise, 58, entered politics in 2008 when he was elected to fill the vacancy left by Bobby Jindal, who had become the governor of Louisiana. Before that, Scalise served in the Louisiana State Legislature for 12 years after his time as twice-elected speaker of LSU’s student government association. His career took a significant turn in 2012 when he became chairman of the influential Republican Study Group.
In 2017, while serving as House majority whip, Scalise experienced a life-threatening incident when he was shot by a gunman during a congressional baseball game in Alexandria, Va. The attack resulted in multiple surgeries and a lengthy recovery process. Earlier this year, Scalise revealed that he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a manageable form of blood cancer, and had started treatment.
In the event that the position of House majority leader becomes vacant, Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the current majority whip, and Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma are among the contenders for the position.
Claudia Grisales contributed to this report.
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