Special Election to be Held for Rep. John Boehner’s Seat

LARGE FIELD OF POTENTIAL CANDIDATES IDENTIFIED

by Sharon Rondeau

(Sep. 27, 2015) — Cincinnati.com is reporting that a special election to replace Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, who announced his resignation from Congress on Friday effective October 30, will take place within the next several months.

Boehner announced his decision to House Republicans early on Friday morning after having hosted Pope Francis for an address to Congress the day before. The Speaker also met with the Pope privately before the Pope’s public remarks were made.

According to Cincinnati.com, Boehner’s decision “threw Ohio Republicans into chaos, as GOPers high and low suddenly found themselves weighing whether to run for Congress.” The publication reports that at least eight names have surfaced as possible contenders for the seat in Ohio’s eighth Congressional District.

One, John D. Winteregg, confirmed in a newsletter received by this writer on Sunday morning that he will be running.  A poll shows Winteregg leading as of Friday evening, when the article was published.

Winteregg, along with another candidate, had unsuccessfully challenged Boehner during the 2014 primary.  Approximately six weeks ago, Winteregg announced that he would again challenge Boehner for the seat in 2016 without the knowledge that Boehner would be resigning.

An August 28 release by Winteregg from an interview with Breitbart News stated that “Any way we can get him out is best for our country.”

On Friday, Winteregg released a statement on his website following Boehner’s formal announcement which reads, in part, “Like most other conservatives, Americans, and Ohioans, I was elated when I heard the news that John Boehner would be resigning. While I thank the speaker for his years of service, I think this news speaks volumes about the state of Washington DC, the GOP, and conservatism generally.”

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones may seek the seat, along with two state senators, a state representative and others, including a former congressman, Steve Austria.

On July 28, Rep. Mark Meadows filed a “motion to vacate the chair” of the Speaker of the House resulting from disagreements over policy votes on the part of some House Republicans with which Boehner did not agree.  At the time, Boehner had responded that Meadows’s resolution was “no big deal.”

The day before Boehner announced his impending departure, The Daily Tar Heel reported that Meadows was “staging [a] coup to overthrow Speaker Boehner.”

It is the responsibility of the Ohio governor to announce a special election, including selecting the date.

House Republicans, who dominate the chamber in numbers, will also need to elect a new Speaker.

Under the Presidential Succession Law, passed in 1947, the Speaker of the House is second in line to the presidency should the chief executive become unable to serve and assumes the presidency should both the president and vice-president be rendered incapacitated.  According to the law, the Speaker and all others outlined as successors must “qualify,” which presumably means to meet the requirements of the presidency outlined in Article II, Section 1, clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution.