A prominent tea party leader is talking up a Florida congressman as a potential replacement for U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who announced last week that he would leave Congress by the end of October.
Taylor Budowich, the executive director of the Tea Party Express, floated U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson’s, R-Fla., name as a possible speaker to Conservative Intel in an article published Monday.
Budowich pointed to outsiders like U.S. Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., Clawson and U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-SC, as the favorites of conservatives as the House looks for a new speaker.
“Conservative activists want someone in leadership who represents the new face of the party,”
Budowich told Conservative Intel.
Budowich noted Clawson’s background in the private sector before making his political debut last year when he won a special election for the seat vacated after Republican Congressman Trey Radel resigned after being caught in a cocaine sell.
“Clawson is the perfect example of an outsider leader,” Budowich said. “A former CEO who knows how to get things done yet stays true to conservative values, he represents tea party ideals through and through. He saw problems and stepped up to fix them, and he’s strong communicator with a passion to do a great job. That’s why Southwest Florida voters elected him with significant support.”
While Clawson has not expressed any interest in running to replace Boehner, two candidates have emerged: U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., who aspired for the gavel at the start of the year. Instead of backing Webster at the beginning of 2015, Clawson voted for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for speaker.
Clawson might not have voted for Boehner, but he did offer the outgoing speaker some kind words on Friday.
“I want to thank Speaker Boehner for his years of hard work, service to our nation, and his humility,” Clawson posted on Twitter.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
