<p>While Representative Kevin McCarthy of California is the frontrunner for Speaker of the House in the upcoming October 8 vote, Representative Jason Chaffetz is stepping up to challenge him.  ;His formal announcement came this morning.</p>
<p>After the unexpected resignation of current Speaker John Boehner, this race becomes more and more relevant.  ;The Speaker of the House is third in the line of succession for the Presidency of the United States.</p>
<p>Other potentials have included Paul Ryan, who has said he doesn&#8217;t want the job, ;Representative Daniel Webster of Florida and perhaps ;Representative Peter Roskam of Illinois.</p>
<p>Chaffetz was elected to the House n 2009, and is currently the Chairman of the ;House Oversight &; Government Reform Committee.</p>
<p>At the start of his tenure, he announced he would be sleeping on a cot in his office, saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m trying to live the example that it doesn&#8217;t take big dollars in order to get where we want to go. I can save my family $1,500 a month by sleeping on a cot in my office as opposed to getting a fancy place that&#8217;s maybe a little bit more comfortable.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We are now $10 trillion in debt. $10 trillion. Those are expenses that have to be paid at some point.&#8221;  ; If he can tighten his belt in these tough economic times, Chaffetz said, Congress should be able to as well. (We don&#8217;t know if he still does this.)</p>
<p>Chaffetz has recently been in the press leading the investigation of the Secret Service. Revelations about an alleged attempt at <strong><a href="https://punchingbagpost.com/secret-service-targets-congressman-for-embarrassment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retaliation by the Secret Service</a></strong> may bring him into the ;press limelight even further.</p>
<p>Chaffetz was outspoken with regard to the Benghazi attack, calling Susan Rice&#8217;s remarks &#8220;somewhere between an outrageous lie and total falsehood.&#8221;</p>
<p>Chaffetz also threatened D.C. Major Muriel Bowser with jail time if she implemented a local measure to legalize small amounts of marijuana in the capital city.</p>
<p>McCarthy as a considerable advantage, having been Majority Leader for the Republican led Congress, a position second only to John Boehner&#8217;s.  ;He has spent years building good will with other members, raising money for colleagues, determining committee assignments and hosting dinners for congressional groups.</p>
<p>Chaffetz is younger and has less experience, so he faces long odds. But perhaps this challenge is a harbinger of things to come for Rep. Chaffetz.</p>