Roskam not running for GOP leadership, encourages party unity

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam said Wednesday he will not run for a leadership position in Congress and encouraged his party to look for a new "plan, not just a person" in the wake of Speaker John Boehner's resignation.

The Wheaton Republican led a two-hour meeting Tuesday to discuss the future of the party, but in a letter to more than 200 of his colleagues Wednesday, he deflected rumors regarding his interest in an open leadership spot.

"I'm not running in any of the leadership elections, because I hope to continue to work at driving these themes to empower our leadership and our members," Roskam wrote. "I truly believe we can have a transformative and impactful majority, but it will require us rethinking how we have been operating individually, collectively and structurally."

Roskam encouraged his Republican colleagues in Congress "not to waste the sacrifice" Boehner is making by stepping aside and to not rush into electing new leaders.

Roskam called Boehner's resignation - a surprise to nearly everyone, Republican or Democrat - "one of the most remarkable political developments in American history" and said Republicans need to "honor the opportunity before us to reset our operations to a more effective plan."

Roskam's letter also said the party needs a plan for how to best "aggressively" assert its authority against President Barack Obama's administration. He told House Republicans ask themselves two questions when thinking about the future of the party and its leaders: "How are we going to define success? And, what should we expect of our leaders and how they spend their time?"

Roskam was elected to represent the 6th Congressional District in 2006 and rose to become chief deputy whip. He lost a bid to move up to the No. 3 Republican job last year.