新罕布什尔州朴茨茅斯--多数党领袖史蒂夫·斯卡利斯上周在东北部的巡回演讲中表示，南希·佩洛西在2018年做了一件正确的事情，而现任众议院少数党领袖没有做过。
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.
当年民主党赢得了一场井喷式的中期选举，佩洛西成为议长。这位路易斯安那州共和党人表示，她的优势是优质候选人，但今年她所缺乏的优势。
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.
他认为，这些属于共和党。斯卡利斯表示，即使在许多人预计2018年大选将在该国较为黯淡的地区，他的政党也拥有更优秀的竞争者，无论政治气候如何，他们都可以支持共和党。
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.
斯卡利斯在竞选活动中对《华盛顿太阳报》表示：“他们现在正在捍卫社会主义，这对民主党来说是一个完全不同的问题，而我们在对比中使用了这一问题。”
“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.
斯卡利斯知道，伊朗战争和关税推高了食品、商品和燃料的价格，这一切都与一位在民意调查中沉没的共和党总统有关。然而，斯卡利斯在一次广泛的采访中表示，这些事情正在好转。
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.
“如果你看看天然气价格，在伊朗之前就已经下降了，当伊朗问题得到解决时，伊朗就不会拥有核武器，这对我们所有人都有好处。但同时，天然气价格也会下降得更低，”他说。
“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.
他说，共和党在这次选举中面临的最大问题确实是“确保人们出去投票”。这就是候选人的用武之地。
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.
斯卡利斯的第一站是朴茨茅斯，他在竞选新罕布什尔州参议员的民主党众议员克里斯·帕帕斯（Chris Pappas）中提拔安东尼·迪洛伦佐（Anthony DiLorenzo），并提拔缅因州前州长保罗·勒佩奇（Paul LePage），目前正在寻求取代即将离任的民主党众议员贾里德·戈尔登（Jared Golden）。
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..
斯卡利斯指出，勒佩奇是“招聘周期的超级明星之一”，是质量的A号证据。人们普遍预计梅纳将赢得该席位，库克政治报告将他的竞选评为“可能是共和党人”。迪洛伦佐是一位富有的汽车经销商，他在这个被评为“可能民主党”的选区面临着更艰巨的任务，但斯卡利斯表示乐观。
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.
斯卡利斯说：“我想你回到几个月前，这个席位并不像缅因州席位那样受到大多数人的关注，但由于我们候选人的实力，事情之所以变成这样。”“所以，你知道，拥有真正优秀的候选人可以让我们在这样的地区竞争。如果你的候选人一般，你就没有竞争力。我们有很好的候选人。”一天后，在纽约哈德逊谷，斯卡利斯试图将2026年关于负担能力的基石论点转向支持众议员迈克·劳勒（Mike Lawler），后者在去年的和解法案中帮助提高了州和地方税的联邦免税上限。
“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.
在当地的一家餐馆里，斯卡利斯站在劳勒旁边，他说他给劳勒带来了一个“奖杯”，从桌子上拿起一个盐罐递给他。
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.
“盐之王，”Scalise向人群宣称，使用的是严重影响劳勒选民的税收减免的首字母缩略词。“我会在某个地方，接下来你知道的是，在法案通过之前，我的桌子上出现了四个盐瓶，我知道劳勒在餐馆里。”这两天在三个州的行程只是路易斯安那州这次选举周期行程的一小部分。在朴茨茅斯的第一站后，他拿出手机展示了一张他让员工制作的衬衫的照片。背面是一张该国地图，在11月3日之前，他去过或计划前往的每个地区都有一颗星。
“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.
“这就像一场摇滚乐队巡演，”斯卡利斯说。“我认为仅在八月休会期间，我们就已经进入了34个地区，比这段时间要多得多，这就是我们所需要的。你必须把这一切都留在球场上。”对于斯卡利斯来说，这次旅行并不是什么新鲜事，他于2014年赢得共和党党鞭竞选后晋升为共和党领袖。每个选举年，弱势共和党人和新候选人都会期望斯卡利斯会为他们竞选。
“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.
这是他在共和党会议成员中赢得忠诚度的原因之一，以至于他在晋升过程中从未面临过任何严重的挑战。
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.
当他试图捍卫党对国会的控制时，一场平行的竞争正在进行;这也可能有助于他捍卫自己的领导地位。
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.
据《华盛顿太阳报》此前报道，俄亥俄州众议院司法委员会主席吉姆·乔丹一直在为共和党失败后挑战斯卡利斯奠定基础。乔丹在本周期也一直在为候选人和现任者奔走，这引起了许多共和党人的注意。
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.
斯卡利斯承认他可能面临挑战，但表示他仍然专注于保持并可能扩大共和党多数席位。
Scalise acknowledged he could face a challenge but said he remained focused on keeping, and potentially growing, the Republican majority.
“看，这是一个自由的国家。任何人都可以参选，但这些职位都没有得到保证，”斯卡利斯说，尽管他也为自己提出了理由。
“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.
“我与特朗普总统和他的工作人员有着良好的工作关系，正因为如此，我们能够以有史以来最小的多数票完成一些最重要的事情。这不是偶然发生的，”斯卡利斯说。“其他任何人都可以参选，所以你知道这永远是你在选举后要处理的事情。但我现在并不担心这个。”当被问及他是否有信心击退乔丹的任何潜在挑战时，斯卡利斯重申，他所有的注意力都集中在11月的胜利上，但他添加了一个微妙的警告。
“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.
他说：“我们做到这一点的唯一方法是，我们的每一分精力都集中在这件事上，而不是所有这些希望我们失败以便他们能够竞选其他席位的人。”
“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.