WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (UPI) — U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), R-S.C., emerged Tuesday as a candidate to run for House Majority Leader.
Current majority leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), R-Calif., has been mentioned as the likely successor of exiting House Speaker John Boehner.
Should that happen, Gowdy’s name has come up as a possible replacement for McCarthy.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), R-Utah, said Gowdy is amenable to running.
“I actually think he’ll do it if we get behind it and support it,” Chaffetz said of Gowdy in a television interview Tuesday, “but I think Trey Gowdy as the Majority Leader would be heaven-sent. If you want the best person to make the Republican case, if you want the best person to talk about why conservatism is the right answer for America, Trey Gowdy is our best foot forward.”
Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), R-La., and Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), R-Ga., have already announced their intentions to contest for the majority leader position.
Support for Gowdy is building, with several leaders, across the Republican ideological spectrum, saying they have suggested he enter the contest.
Elected to the House in 2010, Gowdy is chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi. He has expanded the investigation of the Libya attacks to include a look at the emails of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and could be regarded as a polarizing figure in Congress. Clinton is scheduled to testify before the committee in October.
Boehner announced last week he will retire from Congress at the end of October.
Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart's Facebook Page.