House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has emerged as a leading contender to replace Kevin McCarthy as speaker after the California Republican’s unprecedented removal from office on Tuesday.
Who is Steve Scalise?
Scalise, 57, has represented Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District in the House since 2008.
He is up for re-election in November 2024 and has declared his candidacy for next year’s election.
The former computer systems engineer first became involved in politics in the mid-1990s, serving as a state representative in the Bayou State from 1995 to 2007.
Scalise nearly died in June 2017 after he was shot by a left-wing fan while practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Alexandria, Virginia.
In November 2022, the father of two was elected by his Republican colleagues to serve as House Majority Leader, the second-highest leadership position in the House.
Scalise, 57, has represented Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District in the House since 2008 and currently serves as House Majority Leader.Getty Images
The closed-door vote was reportedly unanimous.
Scalise, a former House minority and majority leader, took on the role of majority leader, which involves determining work schedules and setting agendas.
“We will get to work preparing an agenda that focuses on the struggles working families face, including passing bills in the House to reduce inflation, reduce energy costs, secure the border and help law enforcement agents. order them to get the tools they need to keep our communities safe from rampant crime,” Scalise said after the vote.
“I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work fighting for those families who are struggling as the new House Majority Leader.”
Scalise nearly died in June 2017 after he was shot by a left-wing fan while practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Virginia, but has since made a full recovery.
Scalise announced in August that he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
The congressman described the cancer as “very treatable” and said that he has already started treatment, which he noted will continue “over the next few months.”
“I look forward to working through this term and intend to return to Washington, continue my work as majority leader and serve the people of Louisiana’s First Congressional District,” Scalise said of how his diagnosis will affect his work on Capitol Hill.
In August, Scalise announced that he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, but said the disease is “very treatable.”
Is Scalise interested in becoming the next House speaker?
It is probable. The veteran congressman did not rule out the possibility that he would seek to replace McCarthy when asked by reporters on Tuesday.
“I enjoy working with Tom [Emmer] and our leadership team, and we have a lot of work to do. But I haven’t made any formal announcement,” Scalise said.
The majority leader is already in the process of evaluating the Republican Party’s support for his potential run for president, according to multiple reports.
Since McCarthy’s ouster, Scalise has reportedly called on conservatives who opposed the former speaker of the House of Representatives and the Republican delegations from Texas and Florida, according to Punchbowl News – which indicates that the calls have gone “well.”
The majority leader is already in the process of assessing GOP support for his potential run for president, according to multiple reports. Ron Sachs – CNP
Who supports Scalise’s possible candidacy for speaker?
“Steve Scalise is our leader. If he wants it, then I think he’s likely to be the leader, the speaker candidate,” Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) told reporters Tuesday, according to Politico.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who introduced the motion to impeach McCarthy on Monday, also said he thinks “very highly” of Scalise.
“I would probably vote for Steve Scalise,” Gaetz said Monday, adding that there are probably 100 members of the Republican caucus he would support.
House Majority Leader Tom Emmer (left) and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik are two representatives who could be in the race to be the next speaker.Getty Images
Who could challenge Scalise for the presidency?
Gaetz has reportedly nominated House Majority Leader Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.), and House Chairman House Budget Committee Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) as possible successors to McCarthy.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) indicated Tuesday that he will nominate former President Donald Trump to be the next speaker of the House of Representatives.
“Kevin McCarthy will NOT run for president again. “I nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the House.” Nehls tweeted.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who voted to unseat McCarthy, suggested Monday that Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) would also be a good speaker.
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is another name likely to come up. Stefanik is the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress and an ally of 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner Donald Trump.
It’s unclear if any of those potential candidates would run.
When will we know who the next Speaker of the House is?
Unclear.
Congressional lawmakers have been informed that there will be no votes for the rest of the week.
The Republican conference will hold a candidates forum on Oct. 10 and a full House election is scheduled for Oct. 11.
Since McCarthy’s ouster, Scalise has reportedly called out conservatives who opposed the former House speaker and the Republican delegations from Texas and Florida. The Washington Post via Getty Images
Lawmakers can nominate anyone they want for the post of president, followed by a roll-call vote.
House members are not required to vote only for nominees, and the winner must win by a simple majority of those voting for a candidate (meaning that “present” votes lower the threshold of support needed).
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