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Westmoreland Considers Long-Shot Bid for Speaker

Westmoreland eyes a long-shot gavel bid. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Westmoreland eyes a long-shot gavel bid. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland is the latest to float himself as a possible speaker of the House — a long-shot bid that the Georgia Republican seemed to acknowledge.  

“We’re thinking about it — me and about 20 other people,” he said in a hallway interview, adding that he’s likely to make calls over the weekend. Westmoreland touted his roles recruiting candidates to run in 2010 and in his state’s redistricting efforts in his pitch to his colleagues.  

“I think by Monday, everybody should give an indication” of intentions, he said.  

“Jeff Miller’s a friend of mine, Mike Conaway’s a friend of mine, I mean Greg Walden’s a friend of mine, Tom Price is a friend of mine. We would probably all sit down at some point and have a discussion,” he said.  

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “gung ho” running for speaker, Westmoreland put himself right in the middle.  

“Since I haven’t talked to my wife and kids yet, I’d better be about a five,” he said with a smile.  

“I have confidence this conference will find somebody that everybody would be willing to give a try,” Westmoreland said.


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