Rep. Daniel Webster officially announced his bid for House speaker Tuesday morning, two days before the House GOP is slated to vote on a replacement to retiring Speaker John A. Boehner.
Mr. Webster, a third-term Republican from Florida, joins Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Utah Republican, as officially announced challengers hoping to deny the speakership to Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the current No. 2 who had seemed on a glide-path to ascend to the House’s top post.
The two insurgents argue that as part of the current leadership team, Mr. McCarthy cannot make the fundamental changes that are needed if House Republicans are to regain the legislative initiative.
“This election is not about changing personalities in the speaker’s office, but about fundamentally transforming the way we do business in Washington,” said Mr. Webster, who was speaker of the Florida House before winning his seat in Congress.
He also vowed to forgo the kind of deadline legislating that has plagued Capitol Hill in recent years.
Mr. Webster’s allies tried to boost him as a candidate for speaker in January, when the Congress convened. Mr. Boehner won the job anyway, but Mr. Webster did garner 12 votes of support, or nearly half of the 25 rebel Republicans who didn’t vote for Mr. Boehner.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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