--- title: House Speaker: Five People Who Could Be Next description: Here are five potential contenders to take over as Speaker of the House when John Boehner steps aside. canonical: https://time.com/4078297/speaker-house-candidates/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-19T18:59:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T00:17:00.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Five People Who Could Be the Next Speaker og:description: The House Republicans who might run. og:url: https://time.com/4078297/speaker-house-candidates/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt045e3245c4f97897/698868e5524fc0a69adf514a/paul-ryan1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) heads for House Republican caucus meeting in the basement of the U.S. Capitol October 9, 2015 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Five People Who Could Be the Next Speaker twitter:description: The House Republicans who might run. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt045e3245c4f97897/698868e5524fc0a69adf514a/paul-ryan1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Five People Who Could Be the Next Speaker ## Video: House Speaker John Boehner Resigns: "It was an honor to serve" [Watch (HLS stream): House Speaker John Boehner Resigns: "It was an honor to serve"](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EMxeFBc3.m3u8) (1:38)  _Published 2015-09-25. John Boehner resigns as Speaker of the House._ by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Updated: Dec 14, 2023 12:17 AM UTCPublished: Oct 19, 2015 6:59 PM UTC  House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) heads for House Republican caucus meeting in the basement of the U.S. Capitol October 9, 2015 in Washington, DC. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) heads for House Republican caucus meeting in the basement of the U.S. Capitol October 9, 2015 in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Updated: Dec 14, 2023 12:17 AM UTCPublished: Oct 19, 2015 6:59 PM UTC House Republicans returned from a week-long recess to a race for Speaker that remains unclear. The ideological divide between the Establishment and the House Freedom Caucus has proven difficult for potential candidates to overcome, after it led in part to the exit of former candidate Kevin McCarthy in early October. In the meantime, Speaker John Boehner has said he’ll remain on the job until his successor is in place. **Read More:** [_Kevin McCarthy Drops Out of Speaker’s Race_](http://time.com/4066825/kevin-mccarthy-speaker-drops-out/) Here’s where the race for Speaker stands today: **Rep. Paul Ryan** The Wisconsin Republican and former vice presidential nominee currently has his dream job: chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which gives him immense power over his favorite subject: taxes. He’s seen as the only candidate who can bridge the divide between the Establishment and the Freedom Caucus, but he’s also said he doesn’t want the job. **Rep. Daniel Webster** Now in his third term, the Florida Republican is a backbencher who has said he would decentralize power in the House, a move that’s wildly popular with the Freedom Caucus. He’s noted his two years as speaker of the Florida state House in the late 1990s in his pitch. He received a dozen protest votes when Boehner was re-elected as Speaker in January, but he faces long odds in actually taking the top spot. **Rep. Jason Chaffetz** The Utah Republican surprised many when he announced in early October that he would challenge McCarthy for the post. He has vowed a more confrontational approach to the job, but he also is considered a long shot. Chaffetz currently heads the House Oversight Committee, where he’s held hearings on the Secret Service, Planned Parenthood and other hot topics. **Rep. Bill Flores** The Texas Republican is considering a run for Speaker, but has said he wouldn’t do it if Ryan opts in. As head of the conservative Republican Study Committee, he already leads a large bloc of conservatives who could make him a serious contender. But the Freedom Caucus broke off from the Republican Study Committee, so he could fall short with them. **Rep. Fred Upton** A Michigan Republican could potentially enter the race as well. A longtime ally of Boehner, Upton said the outgoing Speaker [“put our country first”](http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/09/rep%5Ffred%5Fupton%5Fboehner%5Fis%5Fputt.html) when he announced he would resign. Upton belongs to the Tuesday Group, an informal caucus of moderate Republicans that would serve as a base of support. He’s been in Congress since 1987, making him the longest-serving potential contender. **Read Next:** [_Here’s What Could Happen Next in the Race for Speaker_](http://time.com/4067388/house-speaker-boehner-ryan-mccarthy-republican/) **Correction:** An earlier version of this post misstated the state Upton represents in Congress. 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