Rep. Zinke considering running for speaker job
<p>U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke answers a question during a town hall meeting at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell.</p>
(AP) — U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke says he is considering running for House speaker.
The first-term Montana Republican from Whitefish said in a statement Tuesday the House is in a leadership crisis with current Speaker John Boehner resigning and Rep. Kevin McCarthy's withdrawal as a candidate.
Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has so far rebuffed calls to run for the House's top position.
Spokeswoman Heather Swift says Zinke's decision will depend on what Ryan does.
Zinke says callers to his office have been urging him to run. He says other freshmen congressmen have been elected speaker but it has been a long time.
When Boehner announced his resignation last month, Zinke said he was looking for a new speaker who shows resolve against President Barack Obama and bureaucrats "who have hijacked the U.S. Constitution."