Who will replace John Boehner in Congress?

Weigh in: Tell us who you think will replace John Boehner at the bottom of this story.

John Boehner's decision Friday to resign threw Ohio Republicans into chaos, as GOPers high and low suddenly found themselves weighing whether to run for Congress.

No one, not even some on Boehner's staff, had received notice the U.S. House speaker planned to resign.

His exit paves the way for a special election, likely within a few months, and the possibility that the 8th House District might be represented by someone from outside Butler County. In fact, voters in the district -- which stretches north to Mercer County and juts out to include Miami and Clark counties -- have the option of electing someone who doesn't even live within the district's borders.

Todd Hall, Butler Country's GOP executive chairman, was already claiming the race for Butler County, the most populous in the district.

"The voters of the 8th District will decide it, but our local party will work hard to continue the successful path we have blazed by electing a hard-working, solid conservative from Butler County," Hall told The Enquirer in a text message.

Still, names of several Butler County Republicans were batted about Friday -- opening the possibility that locals, who have been mired in infighting in recent months, could split the vote, giving candidates from other counties a better chance.

And no matter what happens, the area will have another election for the congressional seat almost right away, since the normal 2016 primary is in May.

These are some of the Republicans, from Butler County and elsewhere, who might run to replace Boehner:

Richard Jones , Butler County sheriff, Fairfield Township: Jones makes news every time he opens his mouth.

His outspoken stance on immigrants who lack documentation -- he calls them "illegals" -- has landed him on cable television too many times to count. It even caught the attention of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who had his campaign reach out to the sheriff earlier this year.

Jones on Friday tweeted a picture of a pondering Homer Simpson, saying he was "weighing out my options."

The sheriff told The Enquirer he would decide within two weeks whether he would run. He's up for re-election as sheriff next year, and the timing of the special election might mean a decision to run for Congress wouldn't allow him to run for sheriff.

"I believe if I pursued this position that I could win it very easily. I don't think it would be very difficult," Jones said.

"You might think that sounds overconfident, but I don't apologize. I've had people asking if (Republican presidential candidate Donald) Trump was going to support me for this. But they got it wrong: Trump is wanting me to support him."

Jones pulled petitions to run for Congress in 2010, but ultimately decided against it.

Bill Coley, state senator, Liberty Township: The former state representative topped insiders' lists for who might run.

Coley is conservative -- he voted against expanding Medicaid, for instance. He's also powerful in his caucus and can be carefully political. This spring, he was the only Cincy-area lawmaker to decline to take a position on same-sex marriage.

He didn't respond Friday to requests for comment.

Tim Derickson, state representative, Hanover Township: Derickson, a Realtor serving in his fourth term as state representative, is term-limited after next year. Before his tenure in the Statehouse, he served as a Hanover Township trustee for nine years, including two as president of the Butler County Township Association.

"I knew that I would miss that public service" when his Statehouse term ended, he said. Then, Friday morning, Boehner said he'd resign. "I in no way could have anticipated this possibility, but now that it is an open seat, I'm seriously considering a run for that seat."

Derickson was working in Columbus Friday and said he still needed to sit down with his wife, Kelly, to discuss running for Congress. His bid would likely receive strong support from Ohio Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville.

Ross McGregor, former state representative, Springfield: McGregor was term-limited at the end of 2014 out of the Ohio House, where his more moderate views on abortion restrictions, labor rights and protections for LGBT Ohioans put him to the left of most of his Republican colleagues -- and most Butler County voters.

Still, McGregor said, he always carried Clark County, one of the more populous counties in 8th District.

He and his family own Pentaflex, a Springfield metalworking company.

McGregor told The Enquirer he hadn't decided whether to run for Congress.

"Some people label me 'liberal.' I prefer 'moderate,' " McGregor said. "One can only speculate that (Boehner) has had enough of the gridlock and partisan bickering. A guy like me has to ask himself, 'Do I want to be a part of that?' "

Keith Faber, president of state Senate, Celina: Faber is openly ambitious. To that end, he's joined Gov. John Kasich on the 2016 campaign trail and has said he might run for state auditor or attorney general in 2018. But that was before Boehner said Friday he'd resign.

Faber lives a couple of miles outside the border of the 8th District, in the part of Mercer County Boehner doesn't represent. But he already represents many of Boehner's constituents in the state Senate.

A spokesman for Faber declined to comment.

J.D. Winteregg, teacher, Troy: Winteregg ran against Boehner in the 2014 Republican primary. "I've been fighting long before anyone else. That's leadership," he told The Enquirer Friday.

Winteregg questioned those who might jump into the race now for "political expediency."

The tea partier is probably best known for a political ad during the last election cycle that accused Boehner of having "electile dysfunction": He was fired from his teaching position at Cedarville University because of it.

But he stands behind the ad, saying it was the best way to get his name out there and inject "a little humor" into the race.

"I'm a fighter," he said. "I'm not afraid to confront people on different issues, and that's what the Republican Party needs."

Wes Retherford, state representative, Hamilton: Will he or won't he? Retherford remained coy about the possibility.

"I really haven't had a chance to collect my thoughts," he told The Enquirer. "My phone has been ringing off the hook all day."

He did, however, admit to spending a lot of time researching the guidelines for the special elections needed to fill Boehner's seat. And what was the first thing most callers asked him Friday?

"Are you running?"

Seth Morgan, chairman of the Conservative Republican Leadership Committee, Dayton: The former state representative lives outside District 8, in Montgomery County, but is considered a statewide leader in the conservative movement. Returning to elected office is "not something we've ruled out," he told The Enquirer.

"I don't know if I'm ready to say one way or the other," Morgan said. "My support would be decent if I were to run. It kind of depends on who puts their name in the hat."

Morgan left the Ohio House of Representatives in 2010 to run for Ohio auditor and was defeated by then-Delaware County Prosecutor David Yost.

And more: Other state lawmakers whose names were batted about included Springfield Sen. Chris Widener and Tipp City Sen. Bill Beagle. Another possible candidate, Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds, told The Enquirer: "At this point, that's not something I'm prepared to talk about."

Even Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters' name came up, although he lives outside the district. Deters has, after all, held statewide office when he served as treasurer more than a decade ago. But Deters, reached by text message, told The Enquirer: "No chance."

Democrats: The 8th District leans heavily Republican, so the real race for Congress will come in the primary. That didn't stop the Ohio Democratic Party from sending out this fundraising plea: "Boehner's retirement means that we've got the opportunity to elect a Democrat to replace him. ... Please click here and contribute before it's too late."

8th District at a glance:

Population: 726,266

Counties: Butler, Clark, Darke, Miami, Preble and part of Mercer

Gender: 50.9 percent female, 49.1 percent male

Race: 89.5 percent white, 5.9 percent black, 1.7 percent Asian, 3.1 percent hispanic

Median household income: $48,452

High school graduation rate: 88.3 percent

College graduation rate: 21 percent

Source: Encyclopedia of American Politics, 2014

On mobile? Tap here to tell us who will replace Boehner.