Texas Congressman Bill Flores, R-Bryan, told the Texas Tribune today that he will likely run for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The decision by Flores comes as House Republicans stumble around in search of a replacement for John Boehner, the Ohio Republican and current speaker who has announced that he will resign at the end of this month.

Flores first won election to Congress in the Tea party wave in 2010, defeating longtime Democratic incumbent Chet Edwards of Waco. Flores told the Texas Tribune that he would seek the speakership if Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, continues to refuse to run for the top post — which is behind only the vice president in the line of succession to the presidency.

House Republicans, currently split between really conservative members and fire-breathers who orbit even farther out on the fringes of the right, have been unable to settle on a speaker. So where does Flores fall in that spectrum? Based on his past rhetoric, he’s way out on the edges of the right.

For example, Flores has supported impeaching President Obama, something of an entry-level political position for the extreme right. But he really pushed the limits of reason when he linked same-sex marriage… Read More