With his conviction Friday night on 12 felony ethics charges, Rep. Mike Hubbard, who served as speaker of the House, was automatically removed from his elected office.

Before the verdict was even returned, speculation about who his replacement as leader of the Republican caucus and as Speaker of the House, considered by some to be the most powerful position in Montgomery, had begun.

Rep. Mike Jones, R-Andalusia, is among those talked about as a likely contender among politicos. Jones, who currently is serving his second term in the House, chairs the House Judiciary Committee. He is scheduled to convene that committee this coming week in a rare outside-of-session meeting to begin formulating a procedure to deal with impeachment proceedings filed against Gov. Robert Bentley at the end of the 2016 Regular Session.

Jones said last week that he has spent the days since the session ended studying proceedings used in the U.S. Congress and by other states in similar situations.

Others mentioned as contenders include Rep. Phil Williams of Huntsville; Rep. Mac McCutcheon of Madison and Limestone counties; Rep. Ed Henry of Hartselle; Rep. Victor Gaston of Mobile; Rep. Will Ainsworth of Guntersville; Rep. Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa; and Rep. David Stanridge of Hayden.

The legislature is expected to be called into Special Session later this summer; however, the Republicans could caucus before then to choose a speaker. Hubbard rose to power after leading a Republican effort to gain power in Montgomery. He followed Andalusia’s Seth Hammett, who did not seek reelection 2010.