History of Steve Scalise in Timeline
Steve Scalise is an American politician currently serving as the House Majority Leader since 2023. He has represented Louisiana's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2008. A Republican, Scalise previously held the position of House Majority Whip from 2014 to 2019 and House Minority Whip from 2019 to 2023, demonstrating his long-standing involvement and leadership within the Republican Party in the House.
1962: Hale Boggs as majority whip
From 1962, Hale Boggs of Louisiana's 2nd congressional district held the position of majority whip
October 6, 1965: Stephen Scalise Born
On October 6, 1965, Stephen Joseph Scalise was born. He later became a U.S. Representative and House Majority Leader.
1971: Hale Boggs as majority whip
Until 1971, Hale Boggs of Louisiana's 2nd congressional district held the position of majority whip
1995: Elected to Louisiana House of Representatives
In 1995, Scalise was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives.
1999: Re-elected to Louisiana House
In 1999, Scalise was re-elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives.
2002: Spoke at EURO convention
In 2002, Steve Scalise spoke at a convention for the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO), a group founded by David Duke, concerning state tax legislation.
2003: Re-elected to Louisiana House
In 2003, Scalise was re-elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives.
2004: Deferred to Bobby Jindal for Congressional Seat
In 2004, Scalise announced his run for the 1st congressional district, but deferred to Bobby Jindal who later won the position.
March 19, 2005: Marriage to Jennifer Ann Letulle
On March 19, 2005, Steve Scalise married Jennifer Ann Letulle. They have two children.
2006: Hodgkinson had Police Encounters
In 2006, Hodgkinson had encounters with police involving violence or firearms
October 20, 2007: Elected to Louisiana State Senate
On October 20, 2007, Scalise was elected to the District 9 seat in the Louisiana Senate.
2007: Polly Thomas Lost Senate Race to Scalise
In 2007, Polly Thomas lost the race for the senate seat to Scalise
2007: End of Term in Louisiana House
In 2007, Scalise's service in the Louisiana House of Representatives ended.
2007: Announced Intentions to Seek House Seat
In 2007, after Bobby Jindal was elected governor, Scalise announced his intentions to seek the House seat again and received Republican party backing.
May 7, 2008: Sworn into Congress
On May 7, 2008, Scalise was sworn in as a member of Congress.
November 4, 2008: Conrad Appel defeats Polly Thomas
On November 4, 2008, Conrad Appel defeated Polly Thomas to fill the remaining three and one-half years in Scalise's state Senate term
2008: U.S. Representative for Louisiana
In 2008, Scalise became the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 1st congressional district.
2010: Re-elected to Congress
In 2010, Scalise was re-elected to Congress, defeating Myron Katz and Arden Wells.
2011: Co-sponsor of Stop Online Piracy Act
In 2011, Scalise became a co-sponsor of Bill H.R. 3261, otherwise known as the Stop Online Piracy Act.
January 23, 2012: Stop Online Piracy Act Withdrawn
On January 23, 2012, Bill H.R. 3261, otherwise known as the Stop Online Piracy Act, which Scalise co-sponsored, was withdrawn.
December 2012: Dismissal of Derek Khanna
In December 2012, Scalise dismissed Derek Khanna due to pressure from content industry lobbyists after the study committee published a memo advocating copyright reform.
2012: Re-elected to Congress
In 2012, Scalise was re-elected to Congress with 66.6% of the vote, defeating four opponents.
2012: Chairman of the Republican Study Committee
Scalise had a "come-from-behind win in 2012 to become chairman" of the Republican Study Committee.
2013: Chair of the House Republican Study Committee
In 2013, Scalise became the chair of the House Republican Study Committee.
2013: Sponsored FCC Consolidated Reporting Act
In 2013, Scalise sponsored a bill called the FCC Consolidated Reporting Act.
2013: Votes Against Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization
In 2013, Scalise voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.
June 10, 2014: Launched Campaign to Replace Kevin McCarthy
On June 10, 2014, Scalise launched a campaign to replace Kevin McCarthy as House majority whip after Eric Cantor's defeat.
June 19, 2014: Elected as House Majority Whip
On June 19, 2014, Scalise was elected as the House Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives by his Republican colleagues.
2014: House Majority Whip
In 2014, Scalise became the House majority whip.
2014: EURO Convention Attendance Publicized
In 2014, Scalise's 2002 attendance at the EURO conference became public after political blogger Lamar White, Jr. uncovered anonymous comments on a white supremacist website referencing Scalise as a speaker. Stephanie Grace also alleged that Scalise had once called himself "David Duke without the baggage".
2014: Praised Robicheaux v. Caldwell Ruling
Scalise praised the 2014 Robicheaux v. Caldwell ruling.
October 8, 2015: Death of Alfred Joseph Scalise
On October 8, 2015, Alfred Joseph Scalise, Steve Scalise's father, passed away at the age of 77.
2016: Polly Thomas Wins Special State House Election
In 2016, Polly Thomas, who ran against Scalise for the Louisiana Senate seat in 2007, won a special state House election.
January 2017: Hodgkinson Closed Business
In January 2017, Hodgkinson closed down his business.
June 14, 2017: Scalise Shot During Baseball Practice
On June 14, 2017, Scalise was shot and seriously wounded during a practice for the Congressional Baseball Game by an anti-Trump domestic terrorist.
July 5, 2017: Returned to Intensive Care Unit
On July 5, 2017, Scalise returned to the intensive care unit after developing an infection related to his shooting.
July 13, 2017: Scalise Underwent Additional Surgery
On July 13, 2017, it was reported that Scalise had undergone additional surgery and his condition had been upgraded to fair.
December 2017: Voted in Favor of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
In December 2017, Scalise voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, stating it would put more money in the pockets of hard-working families.
2017: Gun Rights Supporter
After being shot and in the wake of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Scalise reaffirmed his support for gun rights.
2017: Dean of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation
In 2017, Scalise became the dean of the Louisiana congressional delegation.
2017: Supported Trump's Executive Order
In 2017, Scalise supported President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
2017: Congressional Baseball Shooting Comparison
Scalise compared the Capitol attack to the Congressional baseball shooting in 2017.
2018: Co-sponsored School Safety Bill
In 2018, Scalise co-sponsored a bill to "strengthen school safety and security".
2018: Elected House Minority Whip
In 2018, after the Republicans lost their majority in the House, Scalise was elected as House minority whip.
2019: House Minority Whip
In 2019, Scalise became the House minority whip.
2020: Spread doctored video
In 2020, Scalise spread a doctored video depicting Ady Barkan asking Joe Biden about defunding the police. After being asked to delete the video and apologize, Scalise deleted the video. The video was flagged by Twitter as manipulated media.
2020: Controversy Surrounding Election
Scalise refused to acknowledge Trump's loss during the controversy surrounding the 2020 presidential election
January 6, 2021: Voted to De-certify Election Results
On January 6, 2021, Scalise voted to de-certify President-elect Biden's victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
February 2021: Refused to Acknowledge Election Legitimacy
In February 2021, Scalise refused to acknowledge that the 2020 election was not stolen or fraudulent.
May 2021: Called for Ouster of Liz Cheney
In May 2021, Scalise called for the ouster of Liz Cheney as House Republican Conference chair.
May 19, 2021: Ranking Republican on House Select Subcommittee
On May 19, 2021, Scalise was the ranking Republican on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis during hearings involving Emergent BioSolutions.
October 2021: Refusal to Acknowledge Trump's Loss
In October 2021, Scalise refused to acknowledge the loss of president Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News.
August 29, 2023: Diagnosis with Multiple Myeloma Announced
On August 29, 2023, Steve Scalise announced that he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He indicated the cancer was detected early and was "very treatable".
October 3, 2023: Kevin McCarthy Removed as Speaker of the House
On October 3, 2023, Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the House.
October 2023: Speaker of the House Election Nomination
In October 2023, Scalise won the Republican nomination for Speaker of the House but later withdrew after failing to consolidate enough votes.
2023: House Majority Leader
In 2023, Scalise became the House majority leader.
