Steve Scalise, Congressman Wounded in Shooting, Is Known as a Low-key Lover of Baseball
Mr. Scalise, 51, who served in the Louisiana State Legislature and has been a fixture in Louisiana Republican politics, was elected to the House in 2008 in a special election to replace Bobby Jindal, who had been elected governor. Mr. Scalise quickly and quietly amassed power among a diverse group of House Republicans, in spite of the most conservative wing’s persistent chafing at what it saw as his establishment-wing persona.
.. Mr. Scalise is popular among his colleagues, who say he refrains from the sort of hardball tactics that whips sometimes use to wring out votes. “He generally tries to use a soft-glove approach,” said Representative Charlie Dent, Republican of Pennsylvania, who resisted voting for a health care bill that the White House deeply wanted to pass. “He is relentless even if you’ve told him no. I was a no on health care, but that didn’t stop him and coming up again and asking.”