Utah’s Rob Bishop could be a ‘dark horse’ candidate for House speaker after Paul Ryan retires

As soon as House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Wednesday he would retire at year’s end, the Beltway guessing game began: Who would run to take his lofty perch? House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana are likely candidates but another name drew interest Wednesday: Utah Rep. Rob Bishop. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, who corrals the powerful, conservative wing of the House, said that Bishop, an 18-year veteran of the chamber, could be a challenger for the speakership. “A dark horse could be a guy like Rob Bishop, who nobody has on their radar screen,” Meadows told the New York Post. “Rob Bishop is well liked by the left and the right.” Bishop, a former speaker of the Utah House who now heads the House Natural Resources Committee, demurred when asked if he’d seek the job later this year...MORE