Raskin slams Republicans for invoking Scalise’s cancer as reason to not vote for him

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) slammed Republicans on Friday for invoking House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s (R-La.) cancer diagnosis as a reason not to vote for him for Speaker and noted they only raised the concern once Scalise had already clinched the conference’s nomination for the role.

“I’m dumbfounded that GOP Members (& Trump!) used Steve Scalise’s cancer as a reason to abandon him on the House floor—after nominating him for the job!” Raskin said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“When I came down with cancer, my Caucus colleagues rallied around to support me as Ranking Dem on Oversight,” Raskin, who was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in December 2022, noted in the post.

Scalise, who was diagnosed with a blood cancer known as multiple myeloma in August, had previously addressed his cancer diagnosis and said his doctor had cleared him to run for the Speakership.

But as enthusiasm for Scalise’s candidacy started falling on Thursday, more members cited Scalise’s health for the reason they said they would oppose his nomination. Later that day, Scalise announced his decision to withdraw from the race after it became clear he could not get the necessary number of votes to win a floor vote.

With such a closely divided chamber, the GOP candidate can only lose four Republican votes to win the majority — assuming the vote is split on party lines and barring any “present” votes or absences.

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