In the wake of Rep. Todd Platts' (R-Pa.) retirement announcement Tuesday, the names of several potential GOP successors have surfaced, including a top aide at the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Brock McCleary, the NRCC's deputy political director, is considering a run for the seat. McCreary hails from nearby Franklin County, which is just outside the district, and his wife is from York, Pa., which is in the district.
Many other Republicans are also looking at the race, including York County Commissioner Chris Reilly, state Rep. Scott Perry and state Rep. Seth Grove, a former Platts aide.
The redrawn 4th district in south-central Pennsylvania is a solidly Republican seat, and the GOP will likely hold on to it in 2012.
The Platts retirement came as a surprise to many top House Republicans and local officials. Even until the final hours before his news conference Tuesday afternoon, Platts kept his retirement under wraps. Roll Call first broke the news.
The timing — just a few weeks before the Feb. 14 filing deadline — caught many potential candidates off guard. As a result, Republicans cautioned that several other candidates would likely emerge in the coming days.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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