Who is Steve Scalise? Republican who dropped out of House Speaker race

Steve Scalise, the US House Republicans' choicefor the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, has dropped out of the race.

This puts the issue of speakership into disarray again, after a virtual coup by Republican hardliners led to an unprecedented vote that ousted Kevin McCarthy from the post, which is the third most powerful in the US.

In a vote,Scalise had outperformed his rival, Jim Jordan, with a vote count of 113 to 99. But Scalise reportedly informed his GOP colleaguesof his decision to drop out during a private evening meeting.

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The leader, however,refrainedfrom endorsing anyone, including his main rival,Jordan, the far-right Judiciary Committee chairman favoured by former US presidentDonald Trump, who had already withdrawn from seeking the position.

Early career

Scalise, aged 58, initially entered politics in 2008, winning a special election to replace Bobby Jindal, who hadbecome governor.

Beginning his political journey at Louisiana State University, Scalise was twice elected as the speaker of LSU's Student Government Association. He served for 12 years in Louisiana's state Legislature before his election to the US House.

A turning point in his career occurred in 2012 when he became the chairman of the influential Republican Study Group.

While serving as the House majority whip in 2017, Scalise survived a gunshot incident in Alexandria, Virginia, during a congressional baseball game.

In August, Scalise disclosed a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a treatable blood cancer, and began treatment. He has been vocal whileadvocating for fiscal discipline, lower taxes, a robust national defence, strong border security, freedom, and purported conservative values.

Scalise's notable achievements

Notable achievements include his contributions to the passage of the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the USMCA (US-Mexico-Canada Agreement) trade deal, both of which are known to have significantly boosted the US economy.

According to his website, Scalise's legislative focus remains on issues that directly affect Americans, such as school safety, border security, parental involvement in education, reducing reliance on China, and pursuing investigations into the origins of Covid pandemic.

The role of Speaker is among the most significant in the US government. Hardline Republicans made predecessor Kevin McCarthy the first speaker to be ousted in a historic Oct 3 vote.

Also watch |Kevin McCarthy ousted as House speaker, a first in US history

McCarthy was the third consecutive Republican speaker to leave the top post due to pressure from his hard-right flank.

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