Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling will not run for House majority leader and is instead throwing his support behind Georgia Rep. Tom Price, in the continuing House Republican leadership shakeup.
Hensarling spokeswoman Sarah Hozier said Monday that Hensarling, who has previously chaired the House Republican Conference, made his decision “after prayerful consideration.”
Hensarling developed a reputation as a fiscal conservative shortly after he was first elected in 2002. He was picked to lead the conservative Republican Study Committee in 2006, a group of House Republicans who gained greater prominence following the tea party wave of 2010.
House Speaker John Boehner’s surprise announcement last Friday that he was retiring from the House has spurred a round of jockeying among Republicans for leadership spots throughout the House.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is quickly locking down support in the speaker’s race, but the races for a series of other leadership posts — including majority leader and whip — are expected to be competitive.