This week, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) declared his intention to run for Speaker of the House.

The next-to-highest ranking Republican in the House, after Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry (R-NC), tweeted saying that he is running for the position with “strong responsibility and purpose.”

The friendly Louisianan is liked by many of his coworkers and could start the race as the favorite.

People may know him best for the injuries he got when he was shot at a Republican baseball practice in 2017. Scalise missed a lot of work in Congress while he was healing, and he is still having health problems linked to that.

In the House, Scalise was the leader of the biggest group of conservatives, the Republican Conservative Committee (RSC), and was the Republican Whip for almost ten years. The present chair of the RSC, Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), is also a potential candidate.

Scalise’s rise in the House Republican Conference comes after Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed from his leadership position in the House this week. There was never any intimacy between them, but they were friends with each other in public.

In tight debates, like the most recent one over spending, McCarthy leaned on his personal buddies and allies Representative Garrett Graves (R-LA) and McHenry rather than his nominal senior deputies, Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN).

Scalise might do better in the race because he doesn’t get along too badly with McCarthy.

Scalise is having more health problems and lately said that he has been diagnosed with cancer.

Some of his coworkers may be swayed by the fact that he is still getting treatment for cancer, even though many of them praised him for running.

Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced his candidacy for speaker earlier this week, according to Breitbart News.