Scalise, Steve (1965-…), became a member of the United States House of Representatives in 2008. Scalise, a Republican, represents a district on the outskirts of New Orleans, Louisiana. Scalise became the Republican whip (assistant leader) in the House in 2014. He was named House majority leader following congressional elections held in 2022.
Stephen Joseph Scalise was born in New Orleans on Oct. 6, 1965. He received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Louisiana State University in 1989. After graduating, he worked as a software engineer, and later as a marketing executive for a technology company.
In 1995, Scalise won election to the Louisiana House of Representatives. He was reelected twice. In 2007, he was elected to the state Senate. He took office in January 2008. In May, Scalise won a special election to serve out the remainder of U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal‘s term in the House. Jindal had resigned his seat after being elected governor of Louisiana. In November, Scalise was elected to a full two-year term. He has won reelection every two years since then.
As a U.S. congressman, Scalise became known for his strongly conservative positions on abortion, energy and environmental issues, gun control, health care, and same-sex marriage. His fellow Republicans elected him chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus (political group) of conservative House members. Scalise has also served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. In addition, he became one of the strongest congressional allies of President Donald J. Trump.
In June 2017, a gunman shot and wounded Scalise and several other people at a field in Alexandria, Virginia, where a Republican congressional baseball team was practicing. The gunman was shot and arrested by authorities, and he later died from his wounds. After undergoing emergency surgery and months of rehabilitation, Scalise returned to the House in September.
