PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire — Nancy Pelosi got one thing right in 2018 that the current House minority leader hasn’t, Majority Leader Steve Scalise said during a barnstorming trip across the Northeast last week.
Democrats that year won a blowout midterm election, making Pelosi the speaker. Her edge, which is missing this year, the Louisiana Republican said, was quality candidates.
Those belong to the GOP, he argued. And even in a bluer part of the country in a year when many expect a 2018 redux, Scalise said his party has superior contenders who can buoy Republicans regardless of the political climate.
“They’re defending socialism right now, which is a whole different problem for Democrats that we’re using in our contrast,” Scalise told the Washington Sun at a fundraising stop amid a campaign swing to boost six races in four states.
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Scalise knows there are enormous challenges to overcome, with the Iran war and tariffs driving up prices for food, goods and fuel, all tied to a Republican president who is submarining in the polls
And yet, Scalise said, in a wide-ranging interview those things are on the mend.
“If you look at something like gas prices, which were coming down before Iran, and when Iran is resolved, number one, Iran won’t have a nuclear weapon which is good for all of us. But also, gas prices will come down even lower,” he said.
The biggest issue facing Republicans in this election really is “making sure people get out and vote,” he said.
That’s where the candidates come in.
Scalise’s first stop was Portsmouth, promoting Anthony DiLorenzo in the race to replace Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who’s running for Senate in New Hampshire, and to boost Paul LePage, the former governor of Maine now seeking to replace outgoing Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, just across the border..
Scalise pointed to LePage, “one of the superstars of the recruiting cycle,” as exhibit A for quality. The Mainer is widely expected to win the seat, with Cook Political Report rating his contest as “Likely Republican.”
DiLorenzo, a wealthy car dealer, faces more of an uphill slog in a district rated “Likely Democrat,” but Scalise professed optimism.
“I think you go back a few months ago, this seat wasn’t as high on most people’s radar as the Maine seat, but it’s become that way because of the strength of our candidate,” Scalise said. “So, you know, having really good candidates allows us to compete in districts like this. If you have an average candidate, you’re not going to be competitive. We’ve got great candidates.”
In New York’s Hudson Valley a day later, Scalise tried to turn the 2026 keystone argument about affordability in favor of Rep. Mike Lawler, who helped raise the federal tax-exemption cap on state and local taxes in last year’s reconciliation bill.
Standing alongside Lawler in a local diner, Scalise said he’d brought a “trophy” for Lawler, picking up a salt shaker off a table and handing it to him.
“The king of SALT,” Scalise proclaimed to the crowd, using the acronym for the tax break that heavily impacts Lawler’s constituents. “I’d be somewhere, and next thing you know I got like four salt shakers showing up on my table before the bill passed, and I knew Lawler was in the restaurant.”
This two-day stretch in three states is just a fraction of the travel the Louisianan is doing this election cycle. After the first stop in Portsmouth, he pulled out his phone to show a picture of a shirt he had his staff create. On the back was a map of the country with a star on every district he’s traveled to or plans to travel to leading up to Nov. 3.
“It’s like a rock band tour,” Scalise said. “We’ve been in I think 34 districts just during August recess, way more than that during this period, and that’s what it’s going to take. You got to leave it all out on the field.”
This travel is nothing new for Scalise, who ascended to Republican leadership in 2014 when he won a race for Republican whip. Every election year, vulnerable Republicans and new candidates have come to expect Scalise will stump for them.
It’s part of what’s garnered him loyalty among members of the Republican Conference, to the point that he’s never faced any serious challenges to his position as he rose through the ranks.
There’s a parallel contest going on as he tries to defend the party’s control of Congress; it may also help him defend his place in leadership.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio has been laying the groundwork to challenge Scalise should Republicans lose, The Washington Sun has previously reported. Jordan has also been hitting the road for candidates and incumbents this cycle, something that’s caught the eye of many Republicans.
Scalise acknowledged he could face a challenge but said he remained focused on keeping, and potentially growing, the Republican majority.
“Look, it’s a free country. Anybody can run, and none of these positions are guaranteed,” Scalise said, though he also laid out a case for himself.
“I have a great working relationship with President Trump and his staff, and because of that, we’ve been able to get some of the most consequential things done with the smallest majority we’ve ever had. That doesn’t happen by accident,” Scalise said. “Anybody else can run, so you know that’s always going to be something that you deal with after the election. But I’m not concerned about it right now.”
Pressed on whether he’s confident he can beat back any potential challenge from Jordan, Scalise reiterated that all his focus is on winning in November, but he added a subtle warning shot.
“The only way we do that is if every ounce of our energy is focused on that, and not all these people that are hoping that we lose so that they can run for other seats,” he said.
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