House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, tried to recruit Rep. Trey Gowdy to run to be the next House majority leader, the Washington Examiner has confirmed.
The move has the potential to shake up a race that so far has Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., running against House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price, R-Ga.
But while a group of House Republican lawmakers has been pushing Gowdy to run for either House speaker or majority leader, he has so far declined to enter any race. Wednesday morning, Rep. John Fleming, R-La., said on C-SPAN that Gowdy has told other Republicans he won’t seek to hold onto his congressional seat in 2016.
However, Gowdy’s office said he has not made any announcement about retirement, and seemed to hint the situation may yet be fluid when it comes to what Gowdy does next.
A spokesman for Boehner had no comment.
Gowdy, R-S.C., heads the House committee investigating the terrorist attacks on Benghazi, Libya and has been instrumental in exposing a private email server housed in the home of former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
