Who is Steve Scalise, the Republicans' choice for US House Speaker?

Early one morning in June 2017, Steve Scalise was standing at second base during practice for a politicians’ charity baseball game when a gunman opened fire at the players, shooting him in the hip. The attack, by a shooter who was targeting Republican lawmakers, left Scalise with life-threatening injuries and facing a long and painful recovery. Now Scalise, a hardline conservative who opposes abortion, immigration and gun control, could become second in line to the presidency after Republicans nominated him for speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday (11 October). More than a week after Kevin McCarthy was ousted by rebel GOP members in a historic no-confidence vote, Scalise, defeated Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio in a 113-to-99 vote, in a closed-door meeting of GOP House members. He will next face a full vote in the House, where he will need the support of 217 lawmakers to secure the speakership. The 58-year-old congressman from Louisiana has long been considered a rising star in the Republican Party, a gregarious lawmaker who currently holds the influential role of House Majority Leader. He has been seen as a bridge between Trump-era conservatives and more traditional establishment Republicans. And, as an increasingly powerful right-wing lawmaker, he also draws savage criticism from many Democrats and progressives. Here’s what we know about Steve Scalise, a shooting survivor and extreme conservative who could be the next US House Speaker. Pro-gun rights In 2014, Scalise had to face down demands for his resignation after admitting he addressed a gathering with ties to Ku Klux Klan former leader David Duke. Scalise apologised, saying “it was a mistake I regret”. But, despite his shooting injuries, an issue on which Scalise has made no concessions is gun control. He is a fierce supporter of the National Rifle Association, which gives him an A+ rating, and has voted repeatedly to expand gun rights. Scalise “will continue fighting to protect every citizen’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms”, his website says. [caption id=“attachment_13237042” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Steve Scalise has been seen as a bridge between Trump-era conservatives and more traditional establishment Republicans. Reuters[/caption] He has routinely opposed gun control legislation, even taking to the House floor for a speech criticising activist in April 2013, just four months after 20 elementary school children and six adults were shot dead. “We were all shocked and saddened by the murders at Sandy Hook. But I think what’s also disappointing, is when you have these tragedies, unfortunately there are people — Washington politicians — that try to take advantage of those tragedies to then come behind and try to impose their agenda,” he said. Israel war adds urgency to US Republican House speaker crisis The rise of Steve Scalise Scalise was born in New Orleans and graduated from Louisiana State University. He worked as a software engineer and marketing executive before being elected as a Louisiana state lawmaker in 1995. He headed to the House of Representatives in 2008, and quickly made a name for himself on conservative issues. In 2014, he was elected chief Republican whip, a position seen as a stepping-stone, before becoming the second-highest-ranking House Republican under then-speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this year. In August, Scalise was diagnosed with multiple myeloma blood cancer and said he was undergoing treatment. Uncertainty surrounds support for Scalise What’s uncertain is whether lawmakers who supported Jordan, the hardliner backed by Donald Trump, will throw their support to Scalise in what is sure to be a close vote of the full House. Democrats are set to oppose the Republican nominee, easily nominating their leader, New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries. Jordan said little after the vote, only that the GOP majority “is divided. But Jordan did offer to give Scalise a nominating speech on the floor, in what would be a show of support during a vote. A centrist leader, Representative Don Bacon, R- Nebraska, said, “We do need to get a speaker in place so we can govern,” reports AP. What we should have heard today after the vote count was, ‘I will heartily support Steve. Let’s get behind him,’ Bacon said. We did not hear that. Neither Scalise nor Jordan were considered as the obvious successors to McCarthy, who was ousted after the speaker led Congress to pass legislation averting a government shutdown. All three men have been here before. In 2018, they were vying for the same position, with McCarthy and Scalise continuing their feud to this day. With inputs from AFP and AP