Let the political games begin! According to his aides, Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R-OH) had an emotional meeting with fellow Republicans on Friday morning, and at the end of the meeting announced his intention to resign as Speaker and U.S. Representative.

Lately, Boehner, who has held his seat since 1990 and served as Speaker of the House since 2011, has been under fire by many in his party due to his faulty leadership. Some will point to his reluctance to defund Planned Parenthood. Others will point to his lack of leadership concerning all that is Obamacare. Others still will point to his leadership or lack thereof on many if not all the key issues facing our country today.

A Boehner aide told NBC News that the Speaker “believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution. He is proud of what this majority has accomplished, and his Speakership, but for the good of the Republican Conference and the institution, he will resign the Speakership and his seat in Congress, effective October 30.”

Maybe, as Boehner stated last night, the pinnacle of his career was bringing Pope Francis to Congress.

MORE: Boehner said Thursday night that he had nothing left to accomplish after bringing the Pope to the capitol. http://t.co/EFaseFfI7d

— POLITICO (@politico) September 25, 2015

Yes, Mr. Speaker, that is indeed a history-making accomplishment. One that brought you to tears…again.

However, I’d say the Speaker’s record as a whole has been problematic, particularly in the last few years. For many, the last straw has been the Planned Parenthood issue. Particularly since his latest strategy was to avoid a government shutdown but kinda sorta defund PPH via reconciliation. Which, as Ed Morrissey of Hot Air points out, is a play straight from the Nancy Pelosi/Harry Reid playbook. Unfortunately Boehner’s idea, like many others put forth by him and others in DC would accomplish only one thing, kicking the can down the road. Can we afford that, on ANY issue? No.

"Now is the time for a principled, conservative leader to emerge." @MikeNeedham on resignation of @SpeakerBoehner http://t.co/hfHizOqJAp

— Heritage Action (@Heritage_Action) September 25, 2015

So, who are or will be the front-runners for the post? As The Hill has reported in the last few weeks, there are several.

After The Hill reported last week that some conservatives had begun reaching out to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as a potential successor to Boehner, McCarthy, along with Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), all were forced to put out statements of support for Boehner.

Already some are either jockeying around to get support, throwing their support behind those who may throw their hat in the ring, or are indicating who they believe to the the front-runner.

U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the No. 2 Republican in the House, is expected to be the top contender to replace Boehner as speaker, Republican Representative Peter King told reporters.

Furthermore, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) wants to run for GOP Whip, the 3rd highest slot in the House. Meanwhile, Rep Daniel Webster (R-FL) has been encouraged to make another bid for the Speaker slot. Others who may throw their hat in the ring include Budget Committee Chairman, Tom Price (R-GA), Rep Pete Sessions (R-TX), and Peter Roskam (R-Ill).

Needless to say, the timing of this announcement throws a whole new wrench in the works. A potential government shutdown is looming, Congress and particularly the Senate have to address the Iran Deal, a certain candidate for President is supposed to give testimony concerning emails, and now the House has to scramble to elect a new Speaker.

Will the House GOP caucus pull itself together and put forth a principled Speaker of the House who has the guts to stand up to the Administration? Is there, will there be a Speaker who can rein Pelosi and her cronies in? Who will be able to take a stand for this country, have the guts to stay standing, and not cry while doing so? Is it McCarthy, Mullin, Sessions, Rodgers; who will it be? Right now its anyone’s guess. Yes indeed, the political games have well and truly begun.