John Boehner resigns: Alabama House Republicans weigh in on speaker's decision

House Speaker John Boehner's abrupt decision on Friday to step down from his post and his congressional seat effective next month came as a shock to the Alabama congressional delegation, who said the path forward for the Republican agenda in the House remains unclear until a successor to Boehner is picked.

Boehner, who has ruffled the feathers of a faction of conservative Republicans for not being more aggressive against the president's agenda, slept on his decision Thursday night before making the announcement to the Republican caucus on Friday morning. The Ohio Republican told a news conference that he was stepping down because "prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution."

"The speaker kept this to himself pretty well and there was a stunned room for a few minutes there," U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, told AL.com. "A lot of people felt very strongly that he had been a good speaker, but this was a result of a division within the House Republican Conference."

U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, who was the only Republican member of Alabama's House delegation not to vote for Boehner as speaker (he voted for U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.), wouldn't say who his choice would be to succeed Boehner.

"I think there are people in our conference that serve and serve well but I don't know if any of them are running," he said, adding that whether the status quo will remain in the House depends on who is elected.

Palmer commended Boehner's decision, and said that while he may have disagreed with some of the speaker's tactics he had professional respect for him.

"Boehner's a good man. He treated me well even though I didn't vote for him," the freshman congressman said. "What happened today, as stunning as it was, was something that I think is extraordinary in history and particularly among leaders. He voluntarily gave that [the speakership] up because it was in the best interest of the majority. And frankly, that's extraordinary."

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, said he believed the criticism of Boehner was a false narrative and that the speaker didn't get enough credit for how he advanced the House's interests. He said responsibility should fall on the upper chamber for Republicans' legislative losses.

"We passed every bill that we can," Aderholt said, which included numerous bills to roll back Obamacare and legislation to kill the nuclear dill with Iran. "We're getting blamed for what the Senate is not doing. Until the Senate is changing the rules over there and change the 60-vote super-majority to just a simple [51-vote] majority then I think we'll see the same."

While Aderholt is still deliberating who he'll vote for speaker, he said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., "would probably be in a good position" to succeed Boehner.

"There's going to be a lot of leadership shakeup," he said. "We're still waiting to see who all the candidates are."

Byrne said his voter for speaker would hinge more on a person who could unite the warring Republican factions than on who is best aligned with his views, although that would also play a role.

"I want a leader," Byrne said. "He needs to be a leader that can unite us and create the consensus that we need going forward."

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, said in a statement that while he had concerns about Boehner's tenure, "I appreciate the work he has done and acknowledge the tough position he was in."

U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, said in a statement that next speaker should be someone "who can boldly advance our agenda of conservative solutions while effectively managing the House in an incredibly fractious environment."

But she added that there are bigger priorities at the moment, with a government shutdown looming if Congress doesn't pass a budget by the end of the month.

The speaker vote will "take place more than a month from now within the House Republican Conference," Roby said. "In the meantime, we have serious budget issues to deal with, and that remains my primary focus."