WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) said he will run to be the next Speaker of The House on Wednesday after a vote pushed out Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the top job.
This would be the first time a Louisiana representative would serve in that role.
In his announcement, Scalise said he felt a bond with other Republicans after he was brutally injured in a shooting six years ago.
"When I was shot in 2017, it was members of this conference who saved my life on that field," Scalise said on Wednesday. "When I was in the hospital for nearly 15 weeks, it was the possibility of getting back to work with all of you that kept me motivated to get better."
Scalise's announcement came less than a day after McCarthy had been ousted from the role, after a group of eight Republicans led an effort to vacate McCarthy and then voted with Democrats.
According to CBS News, House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Ind.) said he wanted Scalise to take over the speakership, saying Scalise 'would be a great speaker."
WWL-TV Political Analyst Clancy DuBos called Scalise, "one of the obvious few choices," for the job.
"The problem that the Republicans have though, and this includes Scalise, is that the last three Republican speakers all left early," DuBos said referring to McCarthy as well as Paul Ryan and John Boehner who resigned during their term. "It's been a real rocky road for Republicans because the whole caucus is split, you've got traditional Republicans who are moderates and conservatives and then you have the hard-right wing."
In August, Scalise said he had been diagnosed with a blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. When asked by reporters about his condition on Wednesday, the 57-year-old House Majority Leader said, "I feel great."
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has also announced his run for the role of speaker on Wednesday.
