Should Paul Ryan (R - Wisc.) continue to stand behind his decision not to run as speaker of the House, Rep. Bill Flores (R - Texas) is ready to take his place, according to The New York Daily News.
Flores sent out a letter Monday asking the rest of Congress to support his campaign, should Ryan choose not to run. So far, Ryan isn't running. "Before you ask, nothing has changed and I don't anticipate any news this week," Brendan Buck, a spokesperson for Ryan, said on Twitter.
Republicans Daniel Webster (Fla.) and Jason Chaffetz (Utah) are already campaigning to be the next speaker of the House. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) has resigned from the position, though he will not leave until a replacement can be found.
Flores is the head of the Congress Study Committee, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"Many of you have asked me to consider serving as speaker of the House...I am humbled to have my name mentioned as a potential candidate for this critical position, and I am strongly considering the pursuit of the speakership in response to the requests that several of you have made to me to do so," the Flores email said, according to The Huffington Post.
Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the House Majority Leader, seemed the most likely candidate to become speaker until he unexpectedly pulled his name out of the running last week.
