Former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Wednesday he doubts a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus will be able to replace outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan as the top Republican in the lower chamber.
“They know they can’t win,” Boehner told the Columbus Dispatch of the conservative faction. “So, I’m sure that’s not going to happen.”
Ryan, R-Wis., announced Wednesday he will not run for re-election and instead plans to retire in January. The top House Republican said his decision was based primarily on his children, who are growing older and know him as a “weekend dad.”
Ryan’s retirement will set off a race for the speakership. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., are considered the top contenders to replace the Wisconsin Republican.
Boehner, who resigned from Congress in 2015 amid a looming conservative coup to oust him from the speakership, predicted McCarthy is the frontrunner.
“I think Kevin McCarthy did a good job as majority leader for me, and he’s done a good job for Paul, and clearly, I think he’s in the Nov. 1 spot,” he said.
The Ohio Republican said Ryan likely decided to retire not due to concerns over the upcoming midterm elections, but because he accomplished a major policy goal.
“He accepted the fact that he had to do this job, and I think he did it well, but tax reform was always his baby, and he got his job done,” Boehner said.
