History of Steve Scalise in Timeline

Stephen Joseph Scalise, a Republican politician, has represented Louisiana's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2008. He ascended to the position of House Majority Leader in 2023. Prior to this, Scalise served as House Majority Whip from 2014 to 2019 and then as House Minority Whip from 2019 until assuming his current leadership role. His career reflects a steady rise within the Republican Party ranks in the House.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1962: Hale Boggs as Majority Whip

From 1962 to 1971, Hale Boggs of Louisiana's 2nd congressional district held the position of majority whip, a position that Steve Scalise later assumed.

October 6, 1965: Steve Scalise's Birth

On October 6, 1965, Stephen Joseph Scalise was born. He is now a U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 1st congressional district.

1971: End of Hale Boggs's tenure as Majority Whip

In 1971, Hale Boggs's tenure as the majority whip came to an end.

1995: Election to Louisiana House of Representatives

In 1995, Steve Scalise was elected to the District 82 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

1999: Re-election to Louisiana House

In 1999, Steve 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. He later stated he was unaware of the group's racist nature and apologized for speaking to them.

2003: Re-election to Louisiana House

In 2003, Steve Scalise was re-elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives.

2004: Deferred Congressional Run

In 2004, Steve Scalise announced his intention to run for the 1st congressional district but deferred to party leaders and supported Bobby Jindal.

March 19, 2005: Married Jennifer Ann Letulle

On March 19, 2005, Steve Scalise married Jennifer Ann Letulle. They have two children.

2006: Hodgkinson's Police Encounters

In 2006, James Hodgkinson, the shooter, had prior encounters with police involving violence or firearms.

October 20, 2007: Election to Louisiana Senate

On October 20, 2007, Steve Scalise was elected to the District 9 seat in the Louisiana Senate.

2007: Thomas lost to Scalise

In 2007, Polly Thomas lost the race for the seat to Scalise.

2007: End of Term in Louisiana House

In 2007, Steve Scalise's term in the Louisiana House of Representatives ended.

2007: Announced Intention to Seek House Seat

In 2007, after Bobby Jindal was elected governor of Louisiana, Steve 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, Steve Scalise was sworn in as a member of Congress.

November 4, 2008: Conrad Appel Elected to State Senate

On November 4, 2008, Conrad Appel was elected to Steve Scalise's former state Senate seat.

2008: U.S. Representative

In 2008, Steve Scalise became the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 1st congressional district.

2010: Re-election Victory

In 2010, Steve Scalise defeated Myron Katz and Arden Wells to win reelection.

2011: Co-sponsor of Bill H.R. 3261

In 2011, Steve Scalise became a co-sponsor of Bill H.R. 3261, known as the Stop Online Piracy Act.

January 23, 2012: Stop Online Piracy Act Withdrawn

On January 23, 2012, the Stop Online Piracy Act, which Steve Scalise co-sponsored, was withdrawn.

December 2012: Dismissal of Derek Khanna

In December 2012, Steve Scalise, as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, dismissed Derek Khanna due to pressure from content industry lobbyists.

2012: Chairman of the Republican Study Committee

In 2012, Steve Scalise had a "come-from-behind win in 2012 to become chairman" of the Republican Study Committee.

2012: Congressional Race Victory

In 2012, Steve Scalise won his congressional race with 193,490 votes over four opponents, including Democrat M. V. "Vinny" Mendoza.

2013: Chair of the House Republican Study Committee

From 2013 to 2014, Steve Scalise served as the chair of the House Republican Study Committee.

2013: Sponsorship of FCC Consolidated Reporting Act

In 2013, Steve Scalise sponsored a bill called the FCC Consolidated Reporting Act, which consolidates several FCC reports into one.

2013: Violence Against Women Act Vote

In 2013, Steve Scalise voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

June 10, 2014: Campaign for Majority Whip

Following Eric Cantor's defeat on June 10, 2014, Steve Scalise launched a campaign to replace Kevin McCarthy as House majority whip.

June 19, 2014: Elected as Majority Whip

On June 19, 2014, Steve Scalise was elected by his Republican colleagues as the majority whip of the United States House of Representatives.

2014: House Majority Whip

In 2014, Steve Scalise became the House majority whip.

2014: Praised Robicheaux v. Caldwell ruling

In 2014, Steve Scalise praised the Robicheaux v. Caldwell ruling, and has a zero rating from the LGBT advocacy group Human Rights Campaign.

2014: Attendance at EURO conference publicized

In 2014, Steve Scalise's 2002 attendance at the EURO conference was publicized, leading to allegations that he had once called himself "David Duke without the baggage".

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 State House Election

In 2016, Polly Thomas, who ran against Scalise for Louisiana Senate in 2007, won a special state House election.

January 2017: Hodgkinson Closed Business

In January 2017, James Hodgkinson, the shooter, closed down his business before the shooting incident.

June 14, 2017: Shooting during Baseball Practice

On June 14, 2017, Steve Scalise was shot and seriously wounded during practice for the Congressional Baseball Game. He underwent treatment and returned to Congress on September 28.

July 5, 2017: Return to Intensive Care Unit

On July 5, 2017, Steve Scalise returned to the intensive care unit due to an infection related to the shooting.

July 13, 2017: Condition Upgraded to Fair

On July 13, 2017, it was reported that Steve Scalise had undergone additional surgery and his condition had been upgraded to fair.

December 2017: Vote in Favor of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

In December 2017, Steve Scalise voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, stating that it would put more money in the pockets of hard-working families.

2017: Continued Gun Rights Support

Following the shooting and the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Steve Scalise reiterated his support for gun rights on Meet the Press.

2017: Dean of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation

In 2017, Steve Scalise became the dean of the Louisiana congressional delegation upon Senator David Vitter's retirement.

2017: Support for Travel Ban

In 2017, Steve Scalise supported President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

2017: Capitol attack condemned

Steve Scalise condemned the Capitol attack as terrorism and compared it to the Congressional baseball shooting in 2017, emphasizing that violent rhetoric can radicalize people.

2018: Co-sponsorship of School Safety Bill

In 2018, Steve Scalise co-sponsored a bill to "strengthen school safety and security", known as the STOP (Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing) School Violence Act, which provides funding for training and security improvements.

2018: Elected House Minority Whip

In 2018, after the Republicans lost their majority in the House of Representatives elections, Steve Scalise was elected as House minority whip.

2019: House Minority Whip

In 2019, Steve Scalise became the House minority whip.

2020: Controversy surrounding presidential election

Aftermath of controversy surrounding the 2020 presidential election.

2020: Spread doctored video of Ady Barkan

In 2020, Steve Scalise spread a doctored video depicting Ady Barkan asking Joe Biden about defunding the police. After criticism and being flagged by Twitter, Scalise deleted the video.

January 6, 2021: Vote to Decertify Election Results

On January 6, 2021, Steve Scalise voted to de-certify President-elect Biden's victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

February 2021: Refusal to Acknowledge Election Legitimacy

In February 2021, Steve Scalise refused to acknowledge that the 2020 election was not stolen or fraudulent.

May 2021: Call for Liz Cheney's Ouster

In May 2021, Steve Scalise called for the ouster of Liz Cheney as House Republican Conference chair.

May 19, 2021: House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Hearings

On May 19, 2021, Steve Scalise was the ranking Republican on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis during hearings involving Emergent BioSolutions founder Faud El-Hibiri and its CEO Robert G. Kramer.

October 2021: Interview with Chris Wallace

In October 2021, during an interview with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, Steve Scalise refused to acknowledge Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election.