Daniel Webster, an “unlikely celebrity” in the House Speaker battle

Daniel Webster became an unlikely celebrity in a failed attempt to overturn House Speaker John Boehner by two dozen conservatives rebels earlier this month.

Webster, who represents Florida’s 10th Congressional District, is now awaiting to see how far the extent of his political banishment will be, whether Boehner might yield on his promise to seek revenge by kicking him off the exclusive House Rules Committee.

Nevertheless, Webster is not one to hold a grudge.

“It’s the speaker’s committee, and I’ve said he can put on there who he wants,” Webster told Lauren French of POLITICO, admitting that he is in negotiations to reclaim his seat. Beyond that, however, he would not say if he is considering a future run at the House leadership, quipping he is not “a prophet.”

It will be 2017 before Webster has another shot at the Speakership.

Webster stands firm behind his criticism of Boehner and his group, telling POLITICO the Ohio Republican strayed too far from the “regular order.”

If he can, Webster says he is looking to change the culture of the House of Representatives.

“I didn’t come here to be speaker of the House,” the 65-year-old from Winter Garden said in an interview with reporters last week. He was preparing to join 250 other lawmakers at a Republican meeting in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

 “If I can move the needle the other way toward a principle-based Congress where members are empowered,” he added. “That’s what I want to have. That’s why I ran. That’s what I’m talking about.”

Daniel Webster is a distant relative of the 19th-century politician who served as a House member, senator and secretary of state. In contrast, his Florida Republican contemporary namesake has been rather low-key in his four years in Congress.

After a career in the Florida legislature, including two years as Speaker, he earned a reputation unique in the Sunshine State: running an orderly and open chamber while finishing work on schedule.

Webster’s supporters in Washington are looking for the same sort of work ethic from him in Congress as a break from the stalemate, brinksmanship and last minute budget deals.

“He has a temperament that is what I think is needed for this job, and I know him to be a man of good character,” Republican Rep. Scott Rigell told POLITICO.  Rigell was one of those who voted for Webster this month. Rigell originally planned to vote for Boehner, when he saw CNN reporting at noon that day Webster had announced his bid for Speaker.

Webster’s also has the backing of Reps. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, two staunchly conservative voices in the GOP forum.

Webster insists his campaign for Speaker’s chair was not out of “vanity” or a search for a higher profile in Congress. It was the contentious debate in December over a $1.1 trillion spending package that convinced him Boehner and the establishment GOP leadership were ignoring rank-and-file members.

With that, Webster still did not enter the race about a day before the vote.

“We have to do things differently,” Webster added. “Things have to change. I felt like I knew what the change should be.”