Odds Favor Scalise To Be First U.S. House Speaker From Louisiana

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Are you a gambling man or woman? Because according to OddsChecker, Louisiana’s own Rep. Steve Scalise is the odd’s on favorite to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. If so, he would become the first Louisiana Representative to hold the gavel in American history. Scalise has been long considered the favorite, however, in recent days, oddsmakers have begun to disagree with BetOnline calling Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio the favorite.

Both sites show Scalise to hold at least 125:1 odds with BetOnline even giving him 125:1 and OddsChecker giving 100:1 odds, but he’s still the underdog with a 50% implied chance of being elected. They also suggest that the Speaker elections are likely to be drawn out beyond the 12th of October.

Scalise announced his intentions to seek the Speakership on Wednesday with a two-page letter to his Republican colleagues referencing his near-fatal attack suffered at the hands of a radical leftist who formerly supported Bernie Sanders.

"When I was shot in 2017, it was members of this Conference who saved my life on that field," said Scalise, who is now battling blood cancer. "When I made it to the hospital and my family was told my chances of surviving were low, it was the prayers from all of you that carried us through. When I was in the hospital for nearly 15 weeks, it was the possibility of getting back to work with all of you that kept me motivated to get better. During that time, I was often asked why after nearly losing my life because of this job I would want to go back. But it was never a question for me: I love this country, and I believe we were sent here to come together and solve the immense challenges we face."

He continued: “I believe we were all put here for a purpose. This next chapter won’t be easy, but I know what it takes to fight and I am prepared for the battles that lie ahead. I humbly ask you for your support on this mission to be your Speaker of the House.” 

In a Friday post to X, formerly Twitter, he shared an interview with Fox News and stressed the strong base of support he’s been able to build. He wrote, “Republicans must unify and fight for the things we told Americans we’d do: - Secure the border - Cut spending - End the Dems' weaponization of government against political rivals I've built coalitions and unified Republicans to win battles before—and I'm ready to do it again.”





Matthew Holloway