Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz Planning Bid For House Speaker: Report

He would be a long-shot candidate.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz has reportedly said he plans to run for House speaker.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz has reportedly said he plans to run for House speaker.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is planning to run for the House speaker post, according to Politico.

The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will challenge House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for the post, sources told Politico.

McCarthy is the favorite to replace outgoing House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), but has come under increased scrutiny from members of the party after praising the Select Committee on Benghazi for hurting Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton's poll numbers.

Chaffetz would be a long-shot candidate for the position, but may be able to woo conservatives within the party, who are skeptical about McCarthy being speaker. Chaffetz told CNN this week that McCarthy should apologize for his comments about the Benghazi Committee, which is tasked with investigating the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

Chaffetz's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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