Updated at 3:29 p.m. ET

There will be no shortage of candidates in the special election to replace Rep. Chris Lee, R-N.Y., who abruptly resigned yesterday amid a sex scandal.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has 30 days to call the special election but he doesn't necessarily have to deem the seat vacant. There was no vacancy declared last year when Democrat Eric Massa stepped down -- also because of a sex scandal -- in part to help save New York taxpayers the cost of a special election.

Lee, first elected in 2008, was considered a rising star in the Republican Party. He resigned Wednesday after the gossip website Gawker disclosed that the married lawmaker had e-mailed a picture of himself not wearing a shirt to a woman he met through Craigslist.

"I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents," he said in a statement, saying he "made profound mistakes."

House Speaker John Boehner said today that Lee "made the right decision for himself and for his family" by resigning. Boehner, however, declined to tell reporters whether he encouraged Lee to step aside.

Politico, The Hill and Rochester-area TV stations are reporting that various Monroe and Erie County lawmakers in the state Assembly, county, and party offices are considering a race.

Lee's district in western New York is Republican, with a voter registration advantage of about 30,000. Republican John McCain won the district in the 2008 presidential election.

Among possible candidates on the GOP side mentioned in news stories: state Sen. George Maziarz, state Assemblywoman Jane Corwin; Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Erie County GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy.

Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan told WIVB-TV that Democrats will also field a candidate. "That seat will be on the ballot and we're gonna go for it," he said.

(Contributing: Fredreka Schouten)