Wayne King, Rep. Mark Meadows’ (R-NC) deputy chief of staff, told Breitbart News Thursday that he continues to “seriously” consider running to replace Meadows (R-NC) in his congressional seat.

Meadows, the former House Freedom Caucus chairman, announced Thursday that he will retire from Congress at the end of his congressional term in 2020.

The North Carolina conservative’s departure from Congress leaves an opening through which conservatives and populists can continue Rep. Meadows’ legacy in the House of Representatives.

King confirmed to Breitbart News that he is seriously considering a run to replace Congressman Meadows during the 2020 election.

“I’m seriously considering running. I have served alongside Mark Meadows his entire time in Congress and understand the needs of the entire district,” King told Breitbart News.

King’s potential candidacy for the congressional district has already engendered support from some of President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters.

Andy Surabian, a former White House official and senior adviser to Donald Trump Jr., told Breitbart News there is no better person than Wayne to continue Rep. Meadows’ conservative and populist legacy in the House.

“I can’t think of a better person to carry on the conservative legacy of Rep. Meadows in the House than Wayne King. Wayne is MAGA to the core and an unabashed fighter for conservative principles and the President’s America First agenda. Supporters of both the President and Rep. Meadows should immediately unify behind his candidacy, he’s the real deal,” Surabian charged.

King, as deputy chief of staff, has served as a strong ally for Rep. Meadows as the North Carolina conservative tries to shake up the Washington, DC, establishment and fight for conservative causes.

King fought with Rep. Meadows as he and the House Freedom Caucus successfully led a motion to vacate the chair and oust then-Speaker John Boehner (R-OH).

The deputy chief of staff also fought with the congressman through the historic 2016 elections, the House Freedom Caucus’s successful fight to improve former Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) failed Obamacare repeal package, the fight to pass the Trump tax cuts, andthe effort to pass legislation that would fund a significant amount of President Trump’s border wall.

As Rep. Meadows prepares to retire, he said in a statement Thursday that the fight to return the power to the American people has just begun, and King can help fulfill that populist legacy.

Congressman Meadows said Thursday:

This President has accomplished incredible results for the country in just three years, and I’m fully committed to staying in the fight with him and his team to build on those successes and deliver on his promises for the years to come.

“I’ve always said Congress is a temporary job, but the fight to return Washington, DC to its rightful owner, We The People, has only just begun,” Rep. Meadows added.