Rep. King says he would consider speaker role

There is no clear-cut favorite yet to replace John Boehner as speaker of the House of Representatives. Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) told News 12 Friday that he would consider the job if Republicans

News 12 Staff

Oct 10, 2015, 1:41 AM

Updated 3,365 days ago

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There is no clear-cut favorite yet to replace John Boehner as speaker of the House of Representatives.
Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) told News 12 Friday that he would consider the job if Republicans cannot come to a consensus and want to form a coalition government with Democrats.
"I know a number of Democrats and Republicans have said they would support me under those circumstances," King said. "Right now I would say that's a long shot, but we'll see what happens."
Many including King are urging former vice president candidate Paul Ryan to try to take the role. Ryan initially said that he was not interested in the speaker position, but reports say he is now considering the move.
On Thursday, Major Leader Kevin McCarthy suddenly dropped out of the running for speaker. "We need a fresh face," he said, and added that he did not want to burden his GOP members with a tough vote for speaker.
After another closed-door meeting Friday morning among Republicans, no favorite has emerged. Reps. Daniel Webster, of Florida, and Jason Chaffetz, of Utah, remain in the running.
Starting Saturday, Congress will go on recess until Oct. 19.