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Article snippet: The House Republican leadership race is expected to reach a full boil following Speaker MORE’s (R-Wis.) retirement announcement on Wednesday. Ryan’s top lieutenants, Majority Leader MORE (R-La.), are both seen as potential Speakers-in-waiting — or minority leaders, if the GOP loses the House. Though neither lawmaker has officially thrown his hat into the ring, Republican colleagues think both men will likely start making moves in the weeks ahead. And more lawmakers could enter the race as Republicans scramble to save their majority and consider who should lead them in 2019. “We’ve got to have a Speaker. And this is politics. So people will start running,” said Rep. MORE (R-Texas). Ryan announced Wednesday morning that he will retire from Congress in January, bringing his Speakership to an end after a little more than three years on the job. Speculation about Ryan’s political future had been swirling for months, but his formal announcement will now bring the battle for the Speaker’s gavel to the forefront of the conversation in the months leading up to November’s midterm elections. “Certainly, his leaving will create a real vacuum,” said Rep. MORE (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. “There will be a de facto battle for Speaker, or minority leader, that will ensue over the coming weeks, not months.” McCarthy and Scalise, the No. 2 and No. 3 House GOP leaders, respectively, had already begun jockeying behind the scenes in case Ryan deci... Link to the full article to read more