Rep. Peter Roskam (R., Ill.) said that he called for a special conference Tuesday to allow Republicans to consider their party’s direction in the wake of House Speaker John Boehner’s (R., Ohio) resignation.
"We really need to think through what just happened. And what just happened was, a sitting speaker of the House has left and it’s not because of any of the typical things," Roskam said Tuesday in his office on Capitol Hill.
"It’s not an election loss or a loss of the majority, or a scandal, or health, or any of these other things, or a typical retirement. He [left] because he did not have the support of this conference that he needed to have."
The Illinois representative said it was a surprise to everyone when Boehner announced last Friday that he will resign from Congress on Oct. 30. The Ohio lawmaker, who has served as House speaker since 2011, said he is leaving Washington amid "leadership turmoil."
Boehner has been under pressure from conservatives to pursue their causes more aggressively. Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), for example, criticized Boehner for refusing to shut down the government the day before the latter’s announcement.
Roskam said Tuesday that Boehner resigned in a "sacrificial way," though he sympathized with Cruz’s criticisms.
"I think communicating a promise of no shutdown is not helpful," Roskam said.
The congressman on Saturday organized a letter with signatures of support from more than 50 House Republicans calling for a special conference on Capitol Hill.
Roskam said the speakership election presents an opportunity for the GOP to become more "forward leaning." He suggested that Republican leadership has prematurely expressed defeat at the hands of the Obama administration.
"You can claim success if you’ve pushed hard and made the argument. I think there’s times when our leadership has looked at the playing field and said, ‘We can’t win. Let’s not play,’" Roskam stated.
"That’s not good enough because you don’t know how this stuff turns out and you’ve got an obligation to play."
Roskam said Tuesday he is unsure whether he will make a bid for a leadership position, which would likely come down to either the majority leader or whip slots. Roskam served as chief deputy whip but lost the election for majority whip to Rep. Steve Scalise (R., La.) last year. Scalise has already announced that he will run for majority leader, a position currently held by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.), who will pursue the speakership.
"On a personal level, I’ve not made any calls. I’m not pursuing anything at this point. I’ve left it open as to whether I’m going to pursue a leadership position," Roskam said.
"My goal right now is to reconstitute the majority, and you can’t do that and run for a leadership position at the same time."