Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Illinois, announced Wednesday he will not run for any leadership post in next week’s election to pick the new House GOP team after Speaker John Boehner’s decision to resign next month.
In a letter sent to his Republican colleagues, Roskam wrote, “I’m not running in any of the leadership elections because I hope to continue to work at driving these themes to empower our leadership and our members. I truly believe we can have a transformative and impactful majority, but it will require us rethinking how we have been operating individually, collectively, and structurally.”
Many viewed Roskam as a potential candidate to replace House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, who is widely expected to be elevated to the speakership.
Roskam once served as McCarthy’s deputy, helping to count votes as part of Boehner’s leadership team, but has worked in recent months to elevate his profile and present himself as a more independent voice.
His decision leaves the No. 3 House Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, vying with Rep. Tom Price of Georgia for the majority leader position. It’s unclear whether another candidate will enter the race, as many members remain undecided about who should get the job. Roskam declined to say if he was endorsing any of the other candidates in the race for majority leader, but Scalise defeated him last summer in the race for the third-ranking position in House GOP leadership.
In his letter, Roskam said new leaders should use Congress’ power of the purse as a way of pushing back against Obama.
“It is my hope that those proposing to lead us will outline a plan for how we can more aggressively assert our Article I authority against the Administration, and also how we can be more provocative in our challenges so as to command more of the narrative of these debates.”
He also appealed to fellow rank and file member, saying “I hope we play a constructive role reflecting on and engaging our colleagues on two other themes: how are we going to define success? And, what should we expect of our leaders and how they spend their time? Right now, we ask of our leaders the impossible task of being on the road, in our districts, and in the press—all while fulfilling other vital policy and communications responsibilities.”
Soon after Boehner stepped down, Roskam cautioned House Republicans to not rush to elect new leaders until they developed a broader strategy on what they wanted accomplish. His moves made fellow House GOP members openly wonder whether it meant he was positioning for his own run. At his urging, leaders scheduled a private session on Tuesday night to begin to chart the path forward.
