U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz Says He Will Run for House Speaker

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) said Sunday he will run to be the next House speaker.

Mr. Chaffetz is considered a long-shot bid to replace Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), who said in late September that he would leave Congress on Oct. 30. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) is the front-runner to succeed Mr. Boehner.

“I think the American public wants to see a change. They want a fresh start,” Mr. Chaffetz said on Fox News Sunday. “You don’t just give an automatic promotion to the existing leadership team, that doesn’t signal change. I think they want a fresh face and a fresh new person who’s actually there at the leadership table in the speaker’s role.”