Steve Scalise elected U.S. House majority whip

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

It was the secured loan personal loan spring of 1995, and Quentin Dastugue had just won the Louisiana Republican Party en­dorse­ment for Governor. His final triumphant speech at the Baton Rouge Hilton that night proved the high point of a campaign that would end prior to qualifying. The then-District 82 GOP State Repre­sen­tative drop­ped out of the Gub­er­natorial contest that August, and Dastugue’s supporters would turn to a Democrat-turned-Repub­lican named Mike Foster.

Yet, that evening was notable in another way. A young computer scientist, not yet thirty, named Steve Scalise was working the room by himself, unable to afford even one staffer, hoping to garner some support from the assembled notables to have a hope to succeed Dastugue in his State Rep. seat. It seemed a quixotic effort. Scalise, at best in Oregon cash advance the time, was running against one of Dastugue’s protegés.

SCALISE

Come that fall, though, this unknown young man charged to victory in the Riverbend, Old Jefferson, and Metairie seat, and less than twenty years later would emerge as the third most powerful Republican in the US House of Representatives. On Thursday, July 18, Scalise defeated Illinois’ Peter Roskam to become US House Majority Whip, and the fastest rising star in the GOP universe.
It was a path to power that was not always straight; however, Scalise who had convinced his conservative colleagues to go along with modifications to the Biggert-Waters flood modifications, and other measure deeply important to his constituents but anathema to doctrinaire conservatives, had won their bob personal loan interest rate support over an equally conservative candidate favored by the GOP leadership.

This surprising result came from diligent work as the conservative caucus spokesman as House Republican Study Committee Chair, but was also reflective of Scalise’s constant drive to reach the top. His election as Whip has deep implications for Louisiana, who constituents are still in need of Federal aide for Hurricane Katrina/Rita recovery, and puts the Pelican State in the strongest postilion in the nation’s capitol since Bob Livingston resigned on the cusp of becoming Speaker of the House.

Louisiana, in other words, is back in the Washington Seniority Game.

Scalise’s election to Whip was so crucial for Louisiana that the state’s leading Democrat in DC, Mary Landrieu, all but qualifications for unsecured personal loan issued her own endorsement of his candidacy early in the week, despite her tough re-election this fall against Scalise’s Republican colleague, Congressman Dr. Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge.

His arrival at near the top of GOP House leadership was far from a straight path. Scalise served as a diligent conservative spokesman in the State legislature, and first sought to run for Congress upon Livingston’s resignation. But, when he chose to launch a campaign for Congress, his closest supporters flocked to the banners of Dave Treen and David Vitter. Left without high level contributors, he dropped out, and bid his time for another chance down the road.

Again, a few years later, it seemed as if Scalise might have a second payday loans on buckner in dallas tx shot to reach the U.S. House. When Vitter opted to run for the U.S. Senate in 2004, leaving his First District Congres­sional seat open, Scalise began another abortive bid, only to have those same supporters ask him to drop out in favor of Bobby Jindal. He did.

In 2007, as Jindal ran for Governor, Scalise choose to run for the open State Senate seat, opened thanks to the same term limits that kept him from seeking a fourth term in the House. But, that contest was far from a clear path. Former Jeff School Board member Polly Thomas had nearly defeated the previous Senator, Ken Hollis. She was again a candidate, with a wide range of support. Tireless campaigning saw Scalise emerge victorious.

personal loans alliance ohio More importantly, Jindal won the Governorship, leaving the First District seat open. Only a State Senator a few, short months, Scalise decided to run for Congress for a third time. This time, he faced a sitting State House member from the Northshore, the Mayor of Slidell, and a prominent Democratic University Professor. Against a crowded field, Scalise finally won.

He wasted no time ascending the House chain of influence, campaigning and raising money for his colleagues. He would even send the occasional thank you gift, like a baseball hat, calling it Louisiana Lagniappe. And, just seven years later, it proved fruitful, winning him the powerful Whip’s post.

This article originally published in the June 23, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.