House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., acknowledged that he is interested in succeeding House Speaker Paul Ryan if the Wisconsin Republican decides to leave Congress.
But Scalise said he would only run for the post if House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., decides against running to replace Ryan or if he were to fall short of the needed 218 votes to assume the speakership, assuming Republicans hold onto the House in the midterm elections.
“I wouldn’t rule it out,” Scalise told Politico. “Obviously, I’ve shown interest in the past at moving up. I’ve enjoyed being in leadership. I feel like I’ve had a strong influence on some of the things that we’ve done, and I’ve helped put together coalitions to pass a full repeal of Obamacare.”
Scalise’s remarks are his first in which he has openly discussed replacing Ryan, a top ally and friend on Capitol Hill.
The comments came after Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., spoke earlier in the week about “rumors” in the caucus that Ryan would resign the speakership in 30 to 60 days, and that Scalise would replace him atop the conference.
Scalise and others in leadership have shot down the rumors, including those close to Ryan, citing his continued work and fundraising on behalf of Republican candidates ahead of the November elections.
“It’s easy to get drawn into the palace intrigue and speculation,” Scalise said. “But if you do that, you truly will lose focus on what your mission is, and that is working with President Trump to advance a conservative agenda … The stakes are way too high for us to lose sight of what we need to do right now.”
Scalise is almost 10 months removed from nearly losing his life after he was shot during practice for the Congressional Baseball Game. He returned to Capitol Hill in late September has endured a lengthy recovery from injuries he sustained. He underwent a follow-up surgery in January, and has another planned for next month.
