Va. House expected to name Del. Kirk Cox its speaker-in-waiting

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-house-expected-to-name-del-kirk-cox-its-speaker-in-waiting/2017/02/20/ee8ff066-f7bd-11e6-9845-576c69081518_story.html

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RICHMOND — Republicans in Virginia’s House of Delegates on Wednesday are expected to crown M. Kirkland Cox, a retired government teacher and veteran legislator, their speaker-in-waiting.

In a closed-door meeting of the House GOP caucus, members intend to name Cox “speaker designee,” according to three people familiar with the plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss confidential caucus matters.

Cox (R-Colonial Heights) would succeed Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) when Howell retires in January.

Howell, who has presided over Richmond’s lower chamber for 15 sessions, announced Monday that he would not seek re-election.

A state delegate since 1990, Cox has worked closely with Howell and has been widely seen as his likely successor. But as word of Howell’s retirement plans started filtering out over the past week or so, a rival emerged in Del. Terry G. Kilgore (R-Scott).

Cox and Kilgore began trying to line up supporters. On Monday, Kilgore said that he had dropped his bid.

“I just didn’t think it was the right time for me,” he said.

Cox declined to comment, saying only, “This is the speaker’s day.”

Supporters of Cox, 59, said he appeared to have sewn up the speaker’s contest with unusual speed and without the horse-trading over committee assignments that is sometimes involved in securing support. They described him as policy-oriented and hands-on, as a fiscal and social conservative who tries to advance those principles in a pragmatic way.

Under current caucus rules, the decision to designate Cox the next speaker would not be binding on the House that convenes in 2018. All 100 House seats are up for election in November.

The designation is intended to signal plans for an orderly transition. Howell assumed the role in January 2003, after S. Vance Wilkins resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal.

“As I understand it, the last really orderly transfer was sometime back in the 1980s,” said Del. Richard L. Anderson (R-Prince William). “There was a transition that happened as a result of death and, of course, there’s been some other unscheduled transitions. And so this will be refreshing because it will be a time where we can move to the next generation of House leadership in an orderly and methodical way.”