Washington DC - Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise, a hardline conservative who opposes abortion, immigration and gun control, could become second in line to the presidency after Republicans nominated him for US House speaker.

The 58-year-old congressman from Louisiana has long been considered a rising star in the Republican Party.

The current House majority leader is seen as a bridge between Trump-era far-right conservatives and more traditional establishment Republicans.

At the same time, his past extreme statements and associations have raised alarm and led to fierce criticism.

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So who is Scalise and what are his chances of become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives?

Scalise was born in New Orleans and graduated from Louisiana State University. He worked as a software engineer and marketing executive before being elected as a Louisiana state lawmaker in 1995.

He headed to the House of Representatives in 2008, and quickly made a name for himself as a hard-right conservative.

In 2014, he was elected chief Republican whip, a position seen as a stepping-stone, before becoming the second-highest-ranking House Republican under then-speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier in 2023.

Scalise was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in August 2023, but has since said he is recovering and able to continue his work in Congress.

In 2014, Scalise had to face down demands for his resignation after admitting he addressed a gathering with ties to Ku Klux Klan former leader David Duke.

Scalise apologized, saying "it was a mistake I regret," but a Louisiana journalist said he had once described himself as "David Duke without the baggage."

Like most members of his party, he aligned himself with Donald Trump, voting against both certifying President Joe Biden's election victory in 2020 and impeaching Trump following the January 6 attack.

He did, though, condemn the Capitol riot as an act of "domestic terrorism."

A staunchly anti-immigration advocate, Scalise backed some of the most extreme policies put forward by former President Donald Trump, including the infamous de facto Muslim ban, which blocked citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

He also supports a border wall with Mexico and opposes what he describes as "amnesty programs" for illegal immigrants.

Scalise's positions on LGBTQ+ issues are to the right of even many of his Republican colleagues.

He vigorously opposes same-sex marriage and legislation the inclusion of sexuality in hate crimes legislation, and has in the past voted against the repeal of the US military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.

In June 2017, Scalise was seriously injured when a gunman opened fire on the annual Congressional Baseball Game.

Despite this, he remains a Second Amendment absolutist and opposes any gun control measures. Scalise drew widespread condemnations for his remarks after the 2013 Sandy Hook school shooting.

"We were all shocked and saddened by the murders at Sandy Hook. But I think what's also disappointing, is when you have these tragedies, unfortunately there are people – Washington politicians – that try to take advantage of those tragedies to then come behind and try to impose their agenda," he said at the time.

Scalise is as anti-abortion as they get. On his website, the congressman bluntly says that "human life begins at conception" and that he is "fighting to protect the rights of the unborn."

In a statement following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade – "a day to celebrate" – he claimed that "63 million lives have been lost due to legalized abortion."

An internal ballot among House Republicans on Wednesday returned Scalise as the winner in his race against Jim Jordan of Ohio, by 113 votes to 99.

The tight margin and grumbling from some quarters of the GOP caucus raise the prospect of another protracted confirmation vote. Scalise needs a majority of House members present to vote for him.

With 433 members in total (there are two vacancies) and 212 Democrats sure to vote for their own candidate for speaker, Hakeem Jeffries, that means the golden number for Scalise is 217.