Chaffetz
challenge deepens House Republicans' disarray
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[October 05, 2015]
By Emily Stephenson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jason Chaffetz, a
rising star among congressional Republicans, on Sunday declared a bid to
become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, complicating
further an internal party struggle to replace John Boehner when he steps
down.
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In a challenge to Boehner's closest lieutenant and presumed
successor Kevin McCarthy, Chaffetz said many Republican lawmakers
want a more thorough change in House leadership.
"I've had enough members who have come and said, 'Please, Jason, do
this. We don't want to fight internally, but realistically we can't
vote to promote the existing leadership,'" Chaffetz said on
television's Fox News Sunday.
Though he would be a long-shot, Chaffetz could mount a credible
threat to McCarthy, more so than the other declared contender for
the speaker's post, Florida Representative Daniel Webster.
The contest could be prolonged, and some congressional aides
speculated that Boehner might be asked to stay on later than Oct.
30, when he plans to leave.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Oct/05/images/ads/current/modern_brake_sda_daily_fallfest_2015.png) Stunning much of Washington, Boehner on Sept. 25 said he would
resign after years of squabbles with conservative hardliners. That
step prevented a U.S. government shutdown by allowing him to work
with Democrats to keep agencies funded through Dec. 11 and put off a
showdown over taxpayer support for women's healthcare group Planned
Parenthood.
Some analysts had said Boehner, in his final weeks, might go further
to prevent potential shocks to the economy and markets by trying to
raise the government's debt ceiling.
Such moves may be less likely with Republicans consumed by
infighting over leadership roles.
The speaker election is set for Thursday. Boehner is considering
postponing elections for other leadership positions that could open
up, Politico said on Sunday.
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McCarthy, currently the House majority leader, remains the favorite
for speaker, but many conservatives have reservations and doubt the
affable 50-year-old Californian has the votes to win.
He drew fire from colleagues last week when he implied a
Republican-led probe of 2012's Benghazi attack was aimed at hurting
Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy. He said his words
were misinterpreted.
Chaffetz, 48, of Utah, rose quickly to committee leadership after
being elected in 2008. He has gained attention for aggressively
targeting Planned Parenthood, a perennial target for Republican ire
because a small part of its operations is providing abortions.
But some Planned Parenthood critics said his recent five-hour
hearing with the group's president was too focused on politics and
not enough on oversight of the health nonprofit.
(Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Ros Russell and Cynthia
Osterman)
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