House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday he will stay in Congress and serve in the top leadership post until a new speaker is elected by the House, which could be beyond the end of October retirement date he previously set, reported the Associated Press.
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Boehner's top lieutenant and the man previously presumed to succeed him, unexpectedly withdrew from the speaker race earlier Thursday and sent House Republicans scrambling for a plan.
Boehner subsequently canceled the preliminary vote scheduled for Thursday afternoon to pick the next speaker and went on to issue a statement saying he will stay for now, according to the Washington Times.
"As I have said previously, I will serve as speaker until the House votes to elect a new speaker," he said. "We will announce the date for this election at a later date, and I'm confident we will elect a new speaker in the coming weeks."
Boehner will continue serving until a successor can garner 218 votes on the House floor, with the vote currently scheduled to take place Oct. 29. But some suggest the vote could be pushed back, as the House will be on vacation next week and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to testify before a major hearing the week after, according to the Times.
"The speaker will continue serving until another candidate can get 218 votes. In the foreseeable future, I don't see any candidate from either party being able to get 218 votes, so I expect the speaker to continue serving," said Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla. "I hope he stays as long as possible."
In two long phone conversations Thursday, Boehner personally asked Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican party's 2012 vice presidential nominee, to run for the speaker position, according to the Washington Post.
Boehner reportedly believes Ryan is the only lawmaker who can bring the House GOP together in such a divisive time, but Ryan has other plans.
"While I am grateful for the encouragement I've received, I will not be a candidate," he stated Thursday. "I continue to believe I can best serve the country and this conference as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee."
